


Lead a Horse to Water

by vinaback



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Horseback Riding, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Some Fluff, Some Plot, reawaken your inner horse girl, some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-19 20:30:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7376338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinaback/pseuds/vinaback
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes has been training horses at Stark Stables for years, and he’d never thought of it as complicated-- until Tony hires Steve Rogers as the new barn manager.  Then it gets more complicated and awkward and amazing than Bucky ever dreamed of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun had just finished its climb past the horizon when Bucky Barnes pulled into the long driveway of Stark Stables. It was going to be another scorching day, which meant taking advantage of the cool morning and getting the training done as early as possible. Natasha clearly had the same idea, since her car was already parked in its usual place, but Clint’s was nowhere to be found. No surprise there. He’d show up eventually.

Bucky parked beside her car and swung his legs out to rest on the gravel, letting himself get used to the lack of air conditioning while he flipped through the schedule on his phone. Luckily, it seemed he had a light day; he could give his own horse a good workout, and maybe see if Spider would get on the damn trailer for once, but otherw—

Two sharp knocks on the side of his car startled Bucky out of his thoughts. “Jesus, Nat, you’re gonna give me a fuckin’ heart attack!” He complained to her immaculate black boots. How the hell could she move silently on gravel _and_ keep her leather clean?

“There’s been an overhaul, Barnes.” Natasha said, completely ignoring Bucky’s grumbling and looking over his car at the stable. Her lips were turned up just slightly at the corners, which was more than enough to make him nervous.

He eyed her suspiciously, earlier scare already forgotten. “What are you talking about?” He asked warily, following her gaze to the barn. It looked the same as it always did: pristine, white walls with bright red trim, outlining the ten large windows on each side, and matching red roof. A few horses poked their heads out curiously, wondering why no one was in the stable to give them attention yet.

“ _Listen_.” Natasha sighed and looked back him, growing steadily impatient with Bucky’s slow uptake.

Despite desperately wanting to know what the hell she was talking about, the brunet could only hear a few birds chirping and the sound of trees swaying in a breeze he couldn't feel. He shrugged helplessly and met her eyes. “I really don’t hear anything, Nat.”

“Exactly. No one is in the barn, mucking out the stalls. My car and yours are the only ones here. _We’re_ the only ones here.” She explained, a slight gleam in her eye.

Bucky frowned and stood up, looking around. She was right, of course. Not another soul. “Where are the stable hands? Where’s Stane?” He asked, turning to face her and leaning against his car.

“Completely gone. The horses from night-turnout are in their stalls, everyone’s fed, but only three stalls are cleaned. Even the house is—“

“You broke into Obadiah’s house?” Bucky interjected disapprovingly, though not surprised.

“It technically belongs to Stark or maybe the barn manager, which isn’t Stane anymore. Besides, the door wasn’t locked and the house has been cleared out. The point,” Natasha continued, ignoring Bucky trying to interrupt again, “is that something finally happened. Stane’s been skimming a little off the top for himself for a while now, but Tony’s always had a blind spot for him. Stane must’ve finally done something big, because he and his grooms are gone.” She finished.

“So… does that mean we have to clean out stalls?” Bucky asked slowly, still trying to process everything Natasha said.

Natasha opened her mouth for a no doubt snarky comment, but stopped when they both heard tires at the end of the driveway. Sure enough, Tony’s ridiculously clean sports car was making a rare appearance at the barn, followed by a much more appropriate SUV.

“Guess we’re about to get some concrete answers.” The redhead murmured, leaning against the side of the car beside Bucky.

“Ah, good, my two favorite henchmen.” Tony greeted the moment he steps out of his car. Despite his light tone, the tension in Stark’s jaw made it clear that Natasha had been right, at least on some level. Something had happened. “I’d like to introduce you to our new and improved head stable hand.” He gestured to the man who had gotten of the SUV.

The man smiled easily and held up a hand in greeting. “Hey, I’m Sam Wilson. I guess I’m gonna be helping you guys out for a while.” He shrugged a shoulder, clearly not much more informed than Natasha or Bucky.

“Yep, that’s right, hopefully for a long while.” Tony added brightly, smiling at the three of them. “Despite the incredibly short notice, Rhodey was able to recommend a new barn manager who apparently isn’t a backstabbing liar. What a concept! Sam here is one of the barn manager’s guys. Oh, did I mention the other hands were fired? They were. About an hour ago. So be nice to Sam, he’s going to get acquainted with the horses while I wait for Mr. Rogers.” Stark rambled, giving Sam a pat on the shoulder and gesturing vaguely to the barn.

“Oh, you want—now? Right, gotcha.” The new groom gave another confused wave before walking towards the barn. Bucky smirked; if nothing else, the new guy could take a hint.

“Alright, Stark, what’s going on?” Natasha demanded as soon as Sam was out of earshot.

Tony sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, optimistic façade completely gone. “You were right, Stane was playing me, more than I could have imagined. I really can’t talk about it right now, but I can assure you the barn and horses are fine. I just need to go home and take a bath. Or drink. Maybe both.” He considered, ignoring that it wasn’t even 7:30 in the morning. “It’s fine, whatever, go ride, I’m going to wait for the new manager and try to properly judge his character.” He waved them off, turning to look down the driveway.

Neither of them was really satisfied by the explanation, but Bucky was relieved when Natasha turned to walk to the stable. He didn’t think Tony could handle one of her interrogations right now.

His eyes adjusted quickly as he walked into the dimness of the barn, and he could make out the figure of Sam standing by a wash rack. “Hey, Tony’s waiting for your guy.” Bucky said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “You can probably go back, if you want.” Wilson flashed him a grateful smile and heads in that direction.

Now, with the drama simmering down a little, Bucky could actually enjoy his time at the barn. He stopped in front of a stall with a nameplate reading “ _The Winter Soldier_ ” in an impressive font. Beneath that, handwritten, read “ _Winnie_.” "The Winter Soldier" was a badass name for competitions, but too much of a mouthful for every day. The large, dark grey horse perked up as Bucky opens the stall door, and he smiles fondly as he falls into their usual routine.

By the time he got out to the arenas, hair twisted into his helmet and boots in the saddle, Clint’s car and – a motorcycle?- were both in the lot next to his own. Natasha and her mare, Black Widow, occupied the flat dressage ring, which left the two rings with jumps empty. Winnie seemed to pick up on the changes, more excited than the hot day warranted, so Bucky steered him to the arena with a twisting jumper course already set up. Although the warmblood was built for a hunter course, the horse and his rider both enjoyed the challenge and thrill of a jumper round, which was based on sharp turns and speed. Especially today, when Winnie seemed to sense the excitement in the air and pranced into the ring.

As if to celebrate Bucky’s choice, Winnie threw up his heels in a couple of playful bucks when asked to canter. Certainly nothing Bucky couldn't handle, and he soon had the gelding moving forward with long, graceful strides. Out of the corner of his eye, Bucky caught a flash of gold, and Winnie’s ears perked towards a stranger watching them by the gate. The brunet smiled slightly to himself as he slowed his horse down to a walk, knowing that his riding skills paired with gorgeous horse would make a good impression on who he assumed must be the new manager.

But as he got closer, the cocky greeting he’d planned stuck in his throat. Holy shit. This guy was gorgeous. His hair was seriously gold, even fucking glinting in the sunlight, the man’s light shirt clung to his clearly chiseled chest, his jeans fit just right, even his damn work boots were alluring. But what really pulled Bucky up short was the man’s face, his attractive features pulled into a frown—confused? Disapproving? He tried to swallow as Winnie came to a stop by the new manager, separated by a few feet and white fence.

“Uh, hi.” Bucky said brilliantly.

“Hello, I’m Steve Rogers, the new barn manager Mr. Stark hired.” The man—Steve—said, holding out a hand high enough for Bucky to shake. The brunet did so, silently regretting that he hadn’t thought to take his glove off.

“And you must be…?” Steve asked, his frown tugging up to a small smile at Bucky’s _fantastic_ social skills. Winnie had no qualms getting acquainted, nuzzling at Steve's hand.

“Oh, right, I’m Bucky. Bucky Barnes.” He answered, trying to put on a charming smile. Except that the other man’s frown returns.

“Bucky Barnes?” The blond asked, speaking each syllable carefully and absentmindedly stroking Winnie’s nose. “Is that your real name?”

“Yeah, of course. Well, no. I mean, my real name’s James Buchanan Barnes, but people call me Bucky. It’s a nickname.” He clarified, still thrown off by the suspicion in the other man’s eyes.

“Oh, you’re really serious,” Steve realized suddenly, eyes going wide before breaking into a grin—which did nothing to help Bucky think clearly. “I’m sorry, I thought this was another joke.” He apologized sheepishly. “I mean, the other guy, Clint, said something about his horse being able to do a flip, and then he said your name was Bucky Barnes, and—“ He broke off to chuckle nervously.

Bucky laughed as well, understanding exactly why the guy would be suspicious. Especially hearing it from Clint. “It’s okay, I get it, my name really sounds fake at a barn. Especially when I’m riding a bucking horse.” He smiled.

Steve visibly relaxed after being forgiven, though his smile still seems apologetic. “Well, nice to meet you Bucky. I’ll try not to insult you any more than I have.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, at least now I know you’re a punk.” Bucky teased with a crooked grin, wondering if he can still salvage this to some level of flirting. Because that’s a great thing to do the first time you meet the Greek statue who’s going to be running the barn and also has a jawline that could cut timber.

But for better or worse, Steve just smiled and walked back to the barn.

~~

By the time Bucky made it back to the barn, he and Winnie were soaked with sweat. They'd done the most twisting and winding courses Bucky could think of, with Winnie jumping neatly despite the odd angles. Bucky loved the exertion and connectedness of jumping, and it always took his mind off whatever was distracting him. Like Steve. Who currently had his back to him, raking a pitchfork across the shavings of a stall at the end of the barn, wheelbarrow peeking out of the door. Steve, who's every muscle was visible now that his shirt was soaked and clung to his back. Who could apparently make cleaning out a stall a sexual experience. Shit.

"Gettin' down and dirty, I see. But shouldn't you be in an office, orderin' hay 'n shit?" Bucky asked, back-up cockiness taking over. 

Steve glanced up with a smile, wiping the side of his face on his shirt sleeve. "I'm pretty sure we've got plenty of the second one," he joked in return, sticking his pitchfork in the shavings and leaning against it. "And, to be honest, I don't totally understand the computer system Mr. Stark has." The blond admitted, blue eyes apologetic. "He didn't really seem to be in the mood for a lot of questions, either, so I'm just hoping I'll figure it out." 

Bucky laughed lightly. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems. Tony's kind of a genius, and he forgets we're not all part computer." He replied, sympathetic. "I've done a few things with the files before, maybe I can help you out when you're done?" He offered, trying not to sound as stupidly hopeful as he felt. He felt like a fucking high schooler.

"Really?" Steve asked earnestly, shoulders slumping in relief. "I can't thank you enough, I've never been good with technology stuff." He sighed before smiling sincerely. "I was gonna sweep the aisle after I finish the stalls, maybe after I get it cleaned up?" 

"Perfect, I'm gonna rinse off Winnie and work with Spider a little, just let me know when you're done." Bucky replies smoothly, despite thinking that his heart may have been skipping random beats every time Steve flashed a smile. “Oh, and you can just call him Tony. He won’t take you seriously otherwise.” He adds over his shoulder.

After taking care of Winnie and double-checking that the fan was working, Bucky set out to find Clint. If he was going to help Steve, he needed to get Spider on the damn trailer, and there was a chance Clint might actually be able to help. Barton had started off training stunt horses for movies, but once he lost a good portion of his hearing in some kind of accident on set, he'd started training horses specifically for riders with disabilities. And if you wanted your horse to play dead, he could do that too.

When Bucky found him in Hawkeye's stall, he was desperately trying to get a picture of the horse with a party hat perched between his ears. Clint's methods weren't exactly conventional.

"I don't want to know what you're doing, but I need your help with Spider." Bucky said, skipping any greeting.

"Oh, perfect!" Clint exclaimed suddenly when Hawkeye perked up at the sound of Bucky's voice. "Nice, thanks. And you remember how head-shy Hawk was when he first got here. We couldn't even get a halter on him, now he can party with the rest of us." He explains as he smiled at the photo on his phone. "Alright then, you managed to help me so I guess I’ll return the favor. You grab the scrawny little guy and I'll get the trailer ready." He offered, already knowing what Bucky need help with.

Spider's irrational hatred of the trailer was well known to them all, though Bucky was the one who had to deal with it the most. He was a young, sweet horse who could make some kid real happy, but only if they could get him on the fucking trailer. And they'd tried _everything_ \-- treats, oats, having another horse get in first, lights so he could see, and anything they could think of, but nothing worked. It was like the horse had watched the trailer murder his dad or something. 

Which was why, now, Bucky didn't even crack a joke when Clint offered to physically push the horse's back end while Bucky pulled on his halter. Neither of them wanted to resort scaring him on, but they were really running out of ideas. Even with the two of them practically supporting the small brown horse, he wouldn't move a hoof any closer to the waiting entrance.

"Alright, stop, stop." Bucky huffed with an annoyed sigh. "Steve's gonna be coming out soon and I really don't need him to see us doing whatever the hell we're doing." He grumbled, stepping down from the back of the trailer and allowing Spider to step a few feet away from it.

"Aw, what's wrong, you don't wanna be embarrassed in front of the hot new guy?" Barton teased with a grin, despite Bucky’s immediate glare. "Too bad. Hey, Steve! Can you help us out over here for a sec?" He called out before Bucky could do more than punch him in the shoulder. Steve was just walking out of the shade of the barn, holding up a hand to the sun, and headed in their direction. 

"Yeah, of course. What can I do?" He asked, letting Spider smell his hand before stroking his shoulder. He lifted the end of his shirt to wipe off some sweat, revealing a strip of skin just over the top of his jeans, which was more than enough of a distraction for Clint to speak up before Bucky could react.

 "Just load this little guy on the trailer. Bucky's been telling me he does something weird with his back leg when he gets on, but he can't lead 'em in there and show me at once." He lied easily.

"No problem," Steve replied with a smile, looking sincerely happy to help them as he took the lead rope.

Bucky shot Clint another glare as Steve stepped up to the trailer, with Spider already hesitating beside him. The blond paused and murmured softly to the horse, running a hand through his mane before stepping into the trailer and giving him a gentle tug on the rope. Bucky started to move forward, mouth opening to explain this was another of Clint's stupid jokes, when Spider lifted a hoof into the trailer. And then another. And with a little cluck from Steve, the back two followed.

Bucky looked at Clint. Clint looked at Bucky. The latter still had his mouth open, and he snapped it shut as Steve poked his head out.

“Didja see what you were looking for? I think this horse is a little uneasy in here.” He said, turning to murmur softly to Spider again.

“Uh, no actually, think you could take him down and go again?” Clint asked, regaining composure in time for Bucky to punch him in the shoulder again.

“No problem,” Steve called out, and soon Spider was backing up hesitantly to the edge of the trailer. When he got his hind legs down, he jerked backwards hard enough to nearly pull Steve over.

“Sorry, forgot to mention he can get a little skittish coming out.” Barton offered with a shrug. Bucky suppressed a groan.

Steve didn’t seem to mind though, and soon had Spider in and out of the trailer again without incident.

“So, what do you guys think? Is anything wrong?” The blond asked with enough genuine concern to make Bucky feel completely terrible for ever going along with Clint’s joke. He couldn’t keep lying to this horse boy scout.

“Nah, but I’m gonna take Spidey back and we can—“ Clint started to say, taking the rope from Steve.

“That was his first time on a trailer.” Bucky blurted, ignoring Clint roll his eyes as he lead the horse back his stall, determined not to face the blowback of his own prank.

Steve frowned slightly, glancing over at Spider and Barton walking away. “Uh, what do you mean?”

The brunet sighed softly, wishing Clint hadn’t started this. “It was supposed to be a prank. We’ve never been able to get Spider on the trailer for some reason, so Clint was going to make a joke out of it. He’s an asshole like that.” He explained in a rush, willing away the confused crease between the other’s brows.

Steve paused for a moment before grinning at the guilt on Bucky’s face. “And you just went along with it? Never mind what I said earlier, I’m not sorry I thought you’re name was fake.” He laughed, which made Bucky smile hesitantly with him. “And for the record, you’re a jerk for trying to embarrass me too.” He added teasingly.

“Oh, so now I’m a jerk? Well I don’t think a jerk would take the time to explain complex computer systems to some punk. This wasn’t even my idea.” Bucky countered, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

The blonde forfeited immediately, still smiling. “Fine, fine, you’re not a complete jerk, but you at least owe me for apparently causing a breakthrough for you all.” He reasoned before suddenly pulling the best damn puppy eyes Bucky had ever seen. “Please help me with the scary technology, I’m just a humble stable hand.” Steve asked with exaggerated sweetness.

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. “Whatever, punk, let’s go smash some keyboards.”

And if Steve’s laugh made his heart flutter just a little, well, Bucky could blame that on the victory of seeing Spider in the trailer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the first chapter! Hoped y'all liked it. When I start getting more in depth, I'll have little explanations of any horse jargon. Just in case! I've been riding for a while now, and I'm not always sure what other people do or don't know. Feel free to ask for any clarifications :)  
> And I haven't decided on future chapter length, so suggestions would be appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

The small house on the corner of the property came furnished, which was a huge relief for Steve. He didn’t have too much waiting for him at his current apartment, but Tony had still offered to rent him a moving truck. And pay off the last three months of his lease. And buy a new television for the house. Steve declined it all, of course; he wasn’t sure what exactly the old manager had done, but he had no intention of exploiting the situation.

Or at least, that’s what he had told himself earlier. Now, leaning over Bucky’s shoulder to look at the computer screen, he felt just a tough of guilt. It would’ve been difficult to figure out the entire computerized system—every aspect of the barn was programmed, from training schedules to feed orders to monthly checks of the pasture fences—but Steve could have figured it out. Instead, he was here, and the brunet smelled like horse and sweat and himself, which played along perfectly with his rugged charm and tight riding pants. But he probably wasn’t single, and likely not even interested, and even if he was, he was a coworker, and—

“Steve?” Bucky asked, looking over his shoulder at him and sounding like this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get the blond's attention.

“Oh, sorry,” he replied, looking intently at the computer screen and praying his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “This is just a lot to take in, I’ve never been at a barn like this. It’s very nice, though.” He hadn’t worked at barn for a few years now, but there was no way they were all this up to date. The wash racks had screens to display water temperature, there were speakers in the arenas to play music, and an automated bug spray system kept the entire place a lot more comfortable. And all of it could now be controlled from Steve’s phone.

Bucky smiled, and if he thought Steve was fibbing, he didn’t mention it. “If you think this is good, just wait ‘til we go to the competition at the end of the month. Stark says he keeps up appearances so people’ll buy our horses or get us to train theirs, but really it’s ‘cause he wants us to look the best. ‘Cause, y’know, we are.” He deadpanned.

Steve grinned easily. “Are you? Then I’m looking forward to seeing you win some blues.”

“Aw, shit, I better tell Clint and Nat. The pressure’s on for real.” Bucky responded, pushing his chair back from the desk and standing. “We gotta make our Captain Rogers proud.” He added with a two-finger salute and a smirk.

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t force down his smile for the full effect. “Really, you’re going to mock me in my own home, Barnes?” He shook his head in mock disappointment.

“In my defense, I’m on my way out. Think you can handle all the scary technology now?” Bucky asked innocently as they made their way back to the front door.

“Y’know, I think I probably can, especially once I get the nuisance out of my new house.” The blond countered, opening the door for effect. 

“Fine, I can see when I’m not wanted.” Bucky sighed, holding his hands up and stepping out.

Steve rolled his eyes again and followed him, locking the door behind him. He still needed to gather what he needed to stay the night, and eventually anything else he owned.

Bucky was waiting a few steps away, looking towards his motorcycle. “That your bike?”

“Yeah, I’ve got an old truck too, but it’s—“

But then, barely loud enough for Steve to hear, Bucky murmured, “That’s so hot.” Steve thought his eyes widened as soon as the words were out, as if he was as surprised to have said them as Steve was to hear them, but didn’t make any other move to betray himself.

“Uh,” Steve started before he had any idea of where he was going with the sentence, still trying to assess the situation. “Oh, we should exchange numbers.” Oh, _perfect_. “I mean, if there’s an emergency here, or you need me to check something, it’ll be easier if we have each other’s numbers.” He explained in a rush, which did nothing to lighten the blush he knew he must have.

“Right, sure,” Bucky responded uncertainly, sounding thrown off by the sudden change in conversation.

The awkwardness was nearly palpable as they put the other’s information in their phones. He’d already exchanged contacts with Clint and Natasha, so this really shouldn’t be so embarrassing. Of course, the other two hadn’t commented on the hotness of his motorcycle, but still.

“Um, I’m gonna go oil my saddle, so I guess I’ll see you around,” Bucky said as he stepped towards the barn, not quite meeting Steve’s eye.

“Yeah, see you,” Steve replied, wincing internally and feeling just a little too relieved when he straddled his bike and headed down the driveway.

~~

That afternoon, when Steve had returned with his truck and some belongings, he and Sam switched out horses in the pasture, cleaned the stalls again, swept, fed everyone, and both finally dropped onto Steve’s couch with a beer and a couple of pizza boxes.

“Well man, what do you think? Did I steer you wrong with this?” Sam asked, propping his feet up on the coffee table and grabbing a slice of pepperoni.

Steve smiled slightly and took a sip of beer. He had a ridiculous tolerance to the stuff, but he appreciated the ritual of a cold one after a long day. “No, you were definitely right about this place. The house alone is better than my apartment. Are you still taking the second room?”

“And live rent free for a while? Hell yeah, I’m not going to pass up an offer like that.” Sam replied with a chuckle. “And have you seen those trainers? All three of them look like models, plus the owner, and I’m pretty sure all the horses here cost _at least_ twice as much as my car. I feel like I’m on Sex  & The City: Barn Edition.”

Steve laughed and then wiped a hand over his face as he thought back on the day. “You’re completely right. Except they’d never let me on a show like that because I'm an idiot. You would not believe how stupid I sounded with Bucky. The one with long, dark hair.” He clarified, glancing over at Sam.

“Oh boy. Let me finish this beer, I know I’m gonna need it, and you can tell me what happened with the attractive guy cursed with a stupid ass name.” Sam replied, raising an eyebrow and getting more comfortable on the couch.

So Steve explained, with grimaces and plenty of laughter with Sam at himself and the ridiculousness of the situation. Really, saying it out loud just made the whole thing funny. Still mortifying, but funny.

“Alright, so you think this guy is cute, he at least thinks your bike is hot, does this mean you’re gonna actually ask him out?” Sam asked skeptically, fitting a huge chunk of crust in his mouth.

Steve groaned and glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye. “C’mon, Sam, you know I can’t do that. He might not even be interested in men, and even if he is, he’s a coworker. I don’t want to risk my brand new job.”

Sam shot him a withering look. “Are you serious, dude? I’m almost impressed with all the excuses you make to avoid going out with people. Maybe he’s technically your coworker, but this isn’t exactly a 9 to 5 office job. There’s gotta be a little leeway here.”

“Okay, maybe, but I don’t even know if I really like the guy. I don’t want to do anything stupid just because he happens to be… attractive.” Steve responded, looking down to his beer.

“Hm,” Sam watched him for a moment. “Fine, that’s understandable. But seriously, you need to let yourself go just a little bit. Have some fun. You don’t have to be responsible every minute of every day.” He put a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

Sam was beginning to slip into Counselor Mode, but Steve knew he was right. He’d grown up trying to take care of himself and his mother when she got sick, and the weight of that had never truly left him. He desperately wanted to be the man she raised him to be, even if she wasn’t there to see him anymore. Mistakes were too easy to make in a situation like this.

“Thanks, Sam. I don’t really know what I’d do without you.” Steve told him sincerely.

“Man, me neither. But I’m happy to help whenever you need it.” Sam replied with a smile, giving him a pat on the shoulder before standing. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pass out because today was complete chaos.” He said, walking towards his bedroom.

“Night, Sam,” the blond called after him, deciding to sit for a few more minutes by himself.

After such a long day, he was completely exhausted. Yet his blood felt too hot and busy, and Steve knew he’d never be able to sleep while this riled up. He grabbed the pizza boxes and beer cans, disposing of them quietly before pulling on his shoes and sliding out the front door.

The night was surprisingly cool after such a hot day, with a soft breeze running through the trees. Steve took a long, slow breath, and headed towards the stalls. Most of the horses were asleep—a few were even snoring— or in the pasture for the night, but one nickered as he walked past.

“Hey there—Mjolnir,” Steve murmured after checking the horse’s nameplate twice. “I haven’t had much luck with names today, so I hope you don’t mind if I’m not saying that right.”

But the large buckskin didn’t seem to care, simply watching Steve with large brown eyes. Steve smiled and stroked the horse’s nose, letting the familiar smell and sounds of the barn comfort him. He stayed there, petting Mjolnir gently long enough that his shirt became covered in horsehair, until he was calm enough to go to sleep.

~~

When Bucky pulled into the parking lot the next morning, he saw Steve standing by the dressage arena and Natasha making an elegant circle on Loki. Bucky knew he had a full slate of horses for the day, but he couldn’t resist watching Natasha preform a real dressage course. She could make any horse look like it was dancing across the arena, pure grace and poise. For competitions, she’d have to have an entire routine memorized—which was why Steve was watching intently and stealing glances down at a piece of paper, which would have the instructions listed.

“You missed the flying change again,” Steve called as Bucky made his way over. Bucky could hear Natasha curse as she pulled Loki to a halt. “Morning, Bucky.” He greeted, seemingly not at all thrown off by their awkward exchange the previous day.

“Mornin’. Mind if I join you for a while?” He asked gruffly, hoping that his coffee would start to kick in while he watched.

“Not at all,” Steve replied with a smile, just as Nat walked over on Loki.

“Where was the flying change again?” She demanded, clearly frustrated in having forgotten it.

“Right on H,” He answered promptly.

Natasha huffed, looking out at the letters lined up in the arena. “This course doesn’t make any damn sense.” She muttered darkly.

“Well, it could. You’ve had the cross canter since K on that line, so right when you get to the corner, you can make the change. Maybe think about it as regaining balance, or something.” Steve offered, looking from the letters back to the rider.

She frowned for a moment, then nodded. “Actually, that’s not a bad way to remember it. Thanks. I’m going to take it from the top.” She nudged Loki on, heading for the centerline of the ring to begin.

Bucky glanced over at Steve with smile. “Wow, I’m impressed. Half the time when I try to give her tips, she looks like she’s going to rip my throat out.”

“Maybe she sees how fantastic I am compared to you,” Steve joked, eyes flipping from Natasha to the page and back again.

“Pfft, yeah right. She probably just found a better way to remember, but decided to be nice to you.” He countered, resting his head on top of the fence to watch horse and rider.

Steve paused for a moment, watching Natasha’s movements, then broke into a genuine grin. “I don’t even mind if that’s the case, because she just did it perfectly. This is her best run-through so far today.” He replied, glancing over at Bucky and back to her.

The brunet smiled as well, proud of Nat for doing well and keeping Loki in line, and also at how invested Steve was after about 24 hours at the barn. They both watched the pair finish smoothly, and Loki even waited until they started walking away to toss his head in annoyance.

“Alright, that was good.” Natasha allowed with a trace of a smile. “Let’s work on the next movement.”

Steve nodded and flipped the paper, scanning over the instructions there.

“You two have fun out here,” Bucky chuckled, heading back to the barn to get started on his work. But when he got there, he pulled up short. Saddles and bridles were waiting on racks in front of every horse he and Nat were going to ride that day, and all the horses looked suspiciously well groomed.

“Hey, Sam,” he called, spotting the other man pushing a wheelbarrow of shavings. “Did you get all this stuff ready for us?”

“Nah, I’ve just been taking care of stalls. That was all Steve. He used to do that kind of thing as a kid or something, and I think he wanted to save you two any extra work.” He replied with a shrug.

Huh. The old stablehands had been fine workers, but they certainly never went out of their way like this. And while Bucky enjoyed the process of brushing off the horses, it was significantly less pleasant when he had four to ride in the heat. Especially today, when Clint had stolen the only covered ring to teach a blind kid named Matt how to work with his horse—who he’d named Daredevil, of all things. But they got along well, and were doing more than he would’ve thought possible. And while he was happy for them and fine with staying out of their way, Bucky felt like he was dying. Was it possible to feel every single sun ray physically beat down? 

Just as he finished with Hulk, a brute of a horse with a nasty temper, a familiar flash of gold caught his eye. He didn’t really think Steve could get any more attractive until he saw _the ice-cold bottle of water_ in his hand. This must be what a mirage looked like, Bucky reasoned, until Steve stopped at the fence and held the bottle up.

“I really don’t know how you can ride three horses out here without any water,” he said, sounding a little too much like a disappointed parent.

Bucky grunted in response, panting as he snatched the water like his life depended on it. He fumbled with the cap for a horrible moment before guzzling water down way too quickly. He was halfway through the bottle when he realized the blond was looking at him oddly, so he forced the bottle away to wipe his mouth with a glove and grin.

“Sorry, but _fuck,_ that hit the spot,” he practically moaned and took a more controlled sip.

“I’m glad, but you gotta be a little more careful in this heat,” Steve replied with a frown.

Bucky sighed, but nodded. “I know. I get so caught up in taking care of the horses, I forget little things like this,” he explained, holding up the bottle and taking another swig to finish it off. “Oh, and thanks for helping out, by the way. You really saved my day.”

Steve smiled and waved away his thanks. “Don’t mention it, it wasn’t hard for me. I had your schedules and all the tack was labeled, so it seemed like the obvious thing to do.”

“Yeah, well, the old hands did too, but they sure as hell didn’t help us out any.” He laughed as he swung down from Hulk, who was starting to get impatient.

That seemed to bother Steve, but he just gave Hulk a pat and started walking with them to the barn. “So are you saying I’m at least a useful punk?” He asked, giving Bucky a grin.

Bucky pretended to consider it for a long moment. “Maybe you could be useful, if you cleaned all the saddles. And my boots. And actually, my car really needs a good vacuuming, so if you could—“

“Okay, I get it, jerk.” He laughed. “I’ll have you know that Clint and Natasha are a lot nicer to me.”

“Yeah, Clint likes you ‘cause you’re gullible, and seems to think you know what you’re talking about.” Bucky smirked.

Steve tried to glare, but he couldn’t quite keep the smile off of his face. “Fine, I’ll remember that tomorrow when I only bring water for myself.”

“Whoa, easy there, I was just kidding! Please, if you don’t bring me water I’m gonna wilt into a pile of bones.” Bucky pleaded with a smile as he led Hulk into his stall.

“Fine, but only because I don’t want Natasha and Clint to have more horses to ride.” He gave a long sigh. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make sure Clint has water too.”

Bucky chuckled to himself as he untacked Hulk, hefting the saddle onto the rack before noticing Natasha watching him from across the aisle. He groaned internally. “How long were you eavesdropping?” He asked as he pulled off his helmet.

“Long enough,” she answered smoothly, walking towards him slowly. “Such unabashed flirting, Barnes. It’s more than a little disgusting.”

“Hey, that wasn’t real flirting. You haven’t even seen real flirting,” he clarified, finally looking over to her.

She smirked. “Believe me, I don’t want to see your “real flirting.” Just ask him out and save the rest us from that torture.”

Bucky ran his hand through his hair, trying to untangle the worst of it as he mulled it over. “I dunno, Nat. I don’t really know if he’s in to me at all, and I sure as hell don’t wanna mess anything up here. Stark _just_ hired him.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and started walking back down the aisle. “Fine, James, do it your way. But just so you know, Barton agrees with me.” She adds over her shoulder.

Bucky sighs, because of course she and Clint had already discussed this. He looked over at Hulk, willing the horse to give him some sort of advice on the subject. Instead, he’s fairly certain Hulk is judging him.

“I know, I probably deserve that, but there’s no way I’m fucking this up, okay? Just come on, I’ll rinse you off.” He grumbled, trying to ignore the way the horses seemed to watch him as he walked past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I had a lot of time this weekend, so here's the next chapter! I won't be able to keep this pace for all the updates, but for now I hope you enjoy.  
> Dressage, by the way, is the one olympic even where the horses don't jump at all. It takes a ridiculous amount of control and effort from horse and rider, so it seemed a natural choice for Natasha.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets angsty.

The days wore on like that, with Bucky almost flirting, and Steve almost maybe flirting back. It was driving him insane, and occupying a fair amount of his thoughts. Until, that is, the horse show at the end of the month became a looming reality, slowly causing a pit of anxiety to form in his stomach.

Bucky knew, realistically, that he had nothing to be worried about; he'd done plenty of shows in the past, knew he'd only have to ride horses that were ready, and honestly, they'd probably win. But the logic of it didn't stop the gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach, which was steadily making him more and more irritable to his coworkers.

He snapped at Natasha once when she’d blocked the aisle with Widow while putting on her helmet. The redhead had given him a nasty glare, but otherwise let him slide when she would have normally slit his throat. Clint just tried to avoid him when he got like this; at one point, he literally pulled himself into the barn’s rafters to avoid having to interact with the man. Even Sam had picked up on it, doing his best to stick to the background until the storm had passed.

Steve was the only one who continued to treat Bucky the same, despite being obviously perplexed by his behavior. Part of Bucky was grateful for some trace of normality, but mainly he wished Steve would leave him the hell alone before he said something he’d really regret.

Which was exactly what happened. After riding two horses, Bucky desperately wanted to go out with Winnie. His own horse was one of the only things that helped keep him calm, and today was the worst yet for the nagging anxiety blooming in his chest. There were only two more days before they left for the contest, and Bucky was torn between wanting to get it over with and stop time altogether. 

So he went to Winnie’s stall, only to find that Steve hadn’t brought out his tack. The fact shouldn’t have bothered him, seeing as Steve did it as a favor, but he still felt annoyed. Then, as he was hefting his saddle from the tack room to his rack, Steve came quickly over.

"Oh, Buck, I was going to tell you earlier, Winnie threw a shoe last night in the pasture. It didn't hurt his hoof or anything, and I'm pretty sure the farrier can just--"

"You didn't think to tell me that before I started getting ready to ride?" He snapped. "What if you hadn't seen me, and I rode him with a shoe missing? There’s a show in two fuckin’ days, and I could’ve made my horse lame by riding with a shoe missing." Realistically, Bucky knew he'd notice the missing metal when he picked his horse's hooves, but he ignored the fact and glared at Steve expectantly.

The blond didn't look angry or even hurt, just confused. "I'm sorry. I'll let you know more quickly next time." He replied with a frown.

Guilt was already eating away at Bucky's anger. "It's fine, forget it. I'm going to call the farrier." He muttered, turning away.

"I already did. He'll be here within the hour. Winnie should be fine to ride tomorrow and for the show." Steve said stiffly, walking immediately back to his work at the other end of the barn.

Bucky opened his mouth, watching Steve's retreating figure, but snapped it shut again without a word. He couldn't bring himself to apologize, and the realization brought all his anger back- directed at himself. 

He grabbed his saddle and dropped it back in the tack room with more force than necessary, ignoring Winnie watching him curiously from his stall. Bucky could still take his horse out to let him graze, maybe apologize to Steve when he calmed down… But after a moment of deliberation, he turned on his heel and stalked to his car, leaving without a word.

By the time Bucky made it back to his apartment, he felt completely ashamed of himself. Clint and Nat knew why he acted like this in the days leading up to a competition, even if they didn't like it; Steve didn't know anything except that Bucky had been a complete asshole for a whole week without reason. He felt pathetic for letting his past continue to affect his life so much, especially with other people getting caught in his internal crossfire. 

After peeling off his sweaty clothes, he stood in the shower for a long time to let himself wallow in the cold spray, and felt marginally better lying in bed with clean clothes. Bucky sprawled out over the covers, trying to think of what to do now. An apology was necessary, that was obvious, but the mere thought of trying to explain it all to Steve made it difficult to breathe. Why wasn't he strong enough to forget it all and move on? 

He groaned and covered his face with a pillow. He'd gone through the exact same train of thought too many times before, and it never got him anywhere. To distract himself from his mind, he started playing music loudly from his phone and pressed the pillow onto his face. Eventually, the combination managed to drown out any feelings and slowly lulled him into a fitful sleep.

Until silence startled him awake hours later. Bucky realized his phone had died, but the clock on his nightstand told him it was nearly midnight. Great. Now he had the whole night to be awake.

He got up and reheated some leftovers, but his stomach felt too uneasy to eat much. The whole apartment felt oppressively empty and quiet, and Bucky itched to just _go_ somewhere. It was too late to talk to Steve tonight- which was kind of a relief- but there was still one apology he could make. Bucky stood up and grabbed his keys, heading out with a renewed determination to make something right.

 

~~

 

            When he pulled up to the barn, Bucky was surprised to see a light shining from the aisle. He assumed someone had simply forgotten to turn it off, until he found Steve sitting on the tack box in front of Mjolnir’s stall, a lead rope draped across the open door to keep the horse inside. Bucky watched silently for a moment and realized Steve was balancing a pad of paper on his knee, apparently drawing.

            The brunet walked quietly down the aisle, and Steve only noticed when he stopped in front of him. “Wha—Bucky, what’re you--?” He stammered, looking like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

            Bucky ignored the question, instead looking down at the drawing in the man’s lap. Steve hesitated a moment, but turned the sketchbook around for a better view. There, on the page, was an incredible rendering of Mjolnir. His legs were unfinished and a part of his neck was smeared from erasing, but it was still more than enough to astonish Bucky. 

            “Steve, what are you doing here?” He asked softly, looking up from the drawing to meet blue eyes.

            The blond shrugged, still completely confused by Bucky’s presence. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out here to draw a little. Mjolnir doesn’t seem to mind,” he added.

            “No, I mean why are you _here_ , at this barn, working as a groom, when you could be an artist or a teacher or _something_ that got you some kind of recognition?” Bucky clarified, voice soft.

            Steve looked at him for a long moment, brows furrowed, before scooting down a little on the tack trunk and patting the area next to him. Bucky took the hint and sat down, leaning back against Mjolnir’s stall door and staring down at the aisle floor.

            “Alright, time for a story, I guess. When I was a kid, I was pretty sickly. Actually, not even “pretty,” I was a total mess of every kinda sickness a kid could have.” He chuckled softly at himself, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “My dad died before I was born, and my mom was stuck paying for all the medical bills herself. She gave lessons for kids at a barn near my house, so she started going as often as she could to pay the bills—which meant I came with her a lot, ‘cause the fresh air was supposed to help me or something.

“I always wanted to help her out, especially since I was the reason things were so tough on her. One time I tried to work with one of the stable hands, and I got an awful asthma attack. After that, I stuck with drawing or oiling saddles,” Steve explained, smiling fondly at the memory. “I spent so much time there as a kid. I couldn’t really ride, but I got along with all the horses. Plus my mom loved it, which just made me happier to be there.” He paused for a moment, caught up in his own memories, before frowning slightly and continuing.

“But then my mom got sick too, and she couldn’t give lessons anymore. Which meant I had no reason to go, since I still wasn’t strong enough to work at a barn—and I wouldn’t earn enough, anyway. So I started working as much as I could. And Ma, she hated that, hated how unhappy I was, but there wasn’t anything either of us could do.” Steve stopped again and cleared his throat. “She eventually passed, and I kept working two or more jobs for years—just to handle the debt from both of us being sick.

“And then Sam called me up a few weeks ago. I didn’t technically have experience for this job, but Stark was too desperate to care. I feel bad for taking advantage, but,” he sat up, glancing over at Bucky, “I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while.”

When he finished, the two sat in silence for a long moment with Steve’s story hanging between them. Bucky sat up and rested his hands on his knees, still not quite meeting Steve’s eye.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. No one should have to put up with me like this, but especially not you. Thanks for telling me all this even though I’ve been a complete asshole.”

Steve smiled slightly and rested his hand on Bucky’s back, moving it in a slow circle. “It’s alright, I always knew you were a jerk.”

The brunet managed a laugh, starting to relax under the other’s touch. He certainly didn’t feel that he deserved Steve’s unconditional forgiveness, but he couldn’t bring himself to reject it either.

“So,” he began again, pulling Bucky out of his reverie. “D’you want to tell me why you’re here?” He asked softly, continuing the motion of his hand on Bucky’s back.

Bucky took a long breath in and out again, closing his eyes to focus on the feel of Steve’s hand and the smell of the barn around him.

“Yeah, okay. I should’ve gotten over this a long time ago, but for some reason I didn’t. And now it’s gonna sound stupid.” He smiled bitterly, eyes still closed. “But fine, here goes nothing.

“I’ve only actually been at one barn other than this one, and it was… different than here. Different in the worst ways possible. They were real big on competing too, but on a whole different level than Tony and the others. Competing—actually, _winning_ —was all that mattered. No one gave a shit about anything else. It was all I ever knew, so I thought the things they did were normal…” The hand on his back faltered slightly before continuing its circle.

“When I first got there, I actually loved showing ‘cause I liked the attention. But slowly, it wasn’t that I wanted to win, it was that I was fuckin’ terrified of losing. I was just some dumb kid, I don’t even know what I was afraid of, but it got to the point that my hands would start shaking whenever someone talked about a competition. Then I had to lie to my parents, say it was school that was the problem since I was failing most of my classes anyway. Course, they didn’t know I was failin ‘cause I spent all my time riding or thinking about riding. God, they thought I loved it so much.” Bucky smiled at the irony of it all, but it looked more like a wince. He paused for another deep breath, focusing momentarily on Steve’s hand again before going on.

“They’d give drugs to the horses any time anything was wrong, not even bothering with a vet. If a horse went lame, they’d fill ‘em up on bute or whatever painkiller would get ‘em going again. Even if they coulda been fine after a few days of rest. They had the riders going all the time too, riding twice as many as I do here every fucking day. They filled us up with energy drinks and protein bars and any other sketchy shit that might make us perform just a little bit better, and we all took it ‘cause we didn’t know any fuckin’ better.

“Once, I was riding this big brown horse. I knew something was wrong with him, but I didn’t want to say anything ‘cause I knew they’d just drug him up some more. So I started riding, trying to make everything look normal. The horse had a heart attack. Started falling on its knees, I flipped over his shoulder, my arm got pinned down beneath him. It felt like I was trapped there for hours before they could get me out. My arm and shoulder were broken. But you know what the worst part is? I went back. I didn’t know what else to do, so once I could manage riding with the cast and sling without passing out from pain, I went back.

“Nat rode there for a while, too. That’s how we met. Then Clint and Tony say her at a show and decided she was way too good for that place—which was true. This place seems like a dream compared to that hellhole, but she refused to come over unless they hired me to train too. I’m pretty damn lucky Natasha’s so amazing, ‘cause they thought I was too far gone for a place like this. But she stood up for me. And now here I am.” Bucky finished quietly, slowly letting his eyes open again.

“I’m so sorry, Buck,” Steve murmured after a few silent moments. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. That’s not something easy to get over. You gotta be a little easier on yourself.”

Bucky chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah, right. Natasha went through pretty much the same shit, and she’s fine.”

“No, she’s not.” Steve replied, meeting Bucky’s eyes fully. “It’s hard to see, and I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t helping her memorize dressage stuff, but she starts clenching her hands when she gets nervous. She didn’t start doing it at all until around the same time you got…. Anxious. The horses can feel it and get annoyed, and that just makes it worse.” He explained.

Bucky frowned, wondering how he’d never noticed something like that before. They never talked about their old barn, but only because he thought Natasha had moved on a long time ago.

“And,” Steve continued, the hand on Bucky’s back stopping to rest on his shoulder. “You want to know why I’ve been putting up with you being a jerk this past week or so?”

“’Cause I’m too hot to ignore?” The brunet joked, voice only slightly unsteady.

Steve smiled fondly. “Sorry, but no. This whole time, you’ve been snapping at all of us, but not _once_ did I see you take it out on a horse. You were still gentle, you still double-checked their water, you still made sure they were happy. You take so much out on yourself to make sure none of the horses have to deal with it.”

That fact threw Bucky off balance. “So… even though I was being a complete asshole, you literally found the one good thing I kept doing. I don’t know how you’re a real person, Rogers.” The joking came easier now, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Steve laughed then shrugged. “What can I say, you’re too hot to ignore.” He countered with a grin. Mjolnir seemed to pick up on their laughter, and set his nose directly on Steve’s shoulder.

“Y’know, Mjolnir’s usually pretty picky about the people he likes,” Bucky told him, looking over at the buckskin. “But I guess that’s not too surprising since—Wait.” He stopped suddenly to stare at Steve. “Did you just horse-whisper me?”

“Did I what you?”

Bucky jabbed a finger at the other’s chest, but smiled. “With the stroking my back and talking all soft, that’s exactly how you got Spider on the trailer. You horse-whispered me.” He accused, shaking his head in awe.

“Aw, come on, it’s not horse whispering. People and horses just like that kinda thing. That’s what my mom did for me when I couldn’t sleep,” Steve explained.

“Uh huh, sure. You’re just lucky I don’t mind being horse-whispered to.”

Steve rolled his eyes, fighting to keep down a grin. “Yeah, whatever, I guess I am.” He agreed with a mock sigh as he leaned back on Mjolnir’s door.

They stayed there for a long moment, both processing the other’s story. When his eyelids started to droop, Bucky realized how exhausted he felt despite sleeping for a fair portion of the day. He didn’t remember the last time he’d had an emotional talk like that with anyone, and it had been more draining than riding every horse in the barn. He stifled a yawn and forced himself to stand, stretching his arms as he looked back at the blond.

“Alright, Stevie, now for the awkward confession: I wasn’t planning on apologizing to you tonight, I actually came over ‘cause I felt bad for not giving Winnie any attention today.” He admitted.

Steve just laughed and pushed himself off the tack trunk as well. “Yeah, I knew it was too good to be true. Fine, go apologize to your real friend. I’ll see you in the morning, Buck.” He added more softly before closing Mjolnir’s stall door and heading back to his house, sketchbook in hand.

When Bucky eventually flopped onto his bed for the second time that day, he immediately fell asleep again. But this time, he slept peacefully through the night with dreams of a tiny Steve taming wild horses with a soft touch and gentle word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really did not plan on updating this so frequently, but every time I see comments and kudos I get really excited... I don't know how long I can keep this pace up, but I'll do my best!
> 
> By the way, when horse is lame, it basically means they've got something wrong with one or more leg(s) that's causing them to move in an odd way. Lameness can be caused by anything from sore muscles to hoof problems to bone issues and more. Definitely not the kind of thing you want to just cover up with painkillers.  
> If there's anything else you aren't sure about, let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

            Thursday brought the most work Steve had ever had to do in a single day, and even though he hadn’t gotten much sleep the previous night—he’d laid awake in bed, thinking for hours about what Bucky had told him—he felt lighter than he had in years. He desperately wanted to speak to Bucky more, but Tony had arrived early with a cohesive list of everything that needed to be done before leaving the next morning. On top of that, he’d seen the owner speaking with Natasha, and while the redhead was very inconspicuous, the sideways glances Tony gave him made it clear who they were talking about.

            While he knew Natasha would never say something bad about him, it made Steve that much more determined to get as much done as possible. So he left Sam to take care of all the daily duties while he started on checking’s horses’ shipping wraps, cleaning the tack they’d need, calling to reserve stalls at the show barn—and then calling again because Tony said he hadn’t gotten their “usual spot”—and more.

            Tony and the riders had decided on five horses to bring. Natasha would ride Loki and Widow in different dressage events, Bucky would jump with Winnie and do some flat classes with Spider for his first show, and Clint would ride Daredevil around the grounds to let him get used to the noise and excitement. Plus, if Tony spotted any potential buys, Clint could hop on any of them and try them out.

            Meanwhile, Steve would be staying with the team to take care of the horses and help them get ready, while Sam would stay back to take care of the others. They’d only be gone from Friday morning to Sunday evening, but all the preparations made it feel like it should be twice as long.

            He was so occupied that he didn’t actually realize when Bucky got there until he saw the brunet standing outside of Winnie’s stall, trying to clean his riding boots.

            “Hey, Bucky,” he greeted, shifting the two freshly oiled saddles balancing on either hip. “You feeling okay?”

            Bucky jumped slightly, but smiled when he saw Steve. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Really. It’s just a little overwhelming to be getting ready, I guess.” He said just as he noticed the two saddles and laughed. “But I guess you get it, huh? Here, lemme help you out.” He offered, taking one of them off the other's arm.

            “Thanks,” Steve replied gratefully, shifting to hold it more firmly as they started to walk out towards the trailer.

            “Stark’s really workin’ you hard for some reason. Usually he makes all of us do this kinda thing for ourselves, plus all our own shit. Not that I’m complaining, you’re definitely making it easier on me,” Bucky added with a grin.

            “Oh, well, of course I'll do anything for you,” Steve replied sarcastically, opening up the trailer door for him.

            Bucky smirked and slid his saddle onto one of the waiting racks. “Aw, thanks doll, glad to hear you say that.” He said sweetly before sauntering back towards the barn.

            He knew he was probably smiling like an idiot as he continued down the list of chores, but Steve didn’t particularly mind.

 

~~

 

            The next morning, Bucky woke up moments before his alarm went off, feeling a little like he might throw up. He took a deep breath and ignored it, focusing on pulling on a clean pair of riding britches and an acceptable shirt. Today was just getting the horses to the show barn and schooling over a few fences. Nothing he couldn’t handle, he reminded himself.

            About an hour later, as he drove up to the barn, he saw Tony’s massive truck already hitched to the trailer with the owner leaning casually on it’s polished side.

            “Ah, Barnes, you made it. Awesome. Now we can start loading horses, and hope Clint gets here before we leave him forever.” Tony greeted, speaking way too cheerfully for so early in the morning.

            Bucky grunted in response, starting to head towards the barn when Steve emerged from the house—carrying cups of coffee.

            “Hey Buck, I saw you drive up. Want some?” He offered, holding one of them out. “Oh, and I even have a couple of sugar packets if you want, and there’s milk back in the house.”

            “You’re officially my favorite person. I just want you to know that.” He replied gratefully, ripping open a sugar packet with his teeth and dumping it in. “Stark, you hired an angel, y’know that?”

            “Yeah, I don’t even know how to handle such sincerity,” Tony said, holding up his matching cup.

            Steve rolled his eyes, looking mildly uncomfortable at their praise. “Okay, you’re welcome. I’m going to give Natasha some coffee, and we can start bringing the horses out.”

            Bucky loaded Spider into the last spot in the trailer, earning an adorable grin and thumbs-up from Steve, when Clint finally showed up and claimed his coffee.

            “Alright, the star is here, we can leave. How are we gonna carpool?” He asked, taking a sip and looking over at Tony.

            “Natasha’s going to drive the trailer, obviously, and Rogers, I’d like you to ride shotgun so you might learn a thing or two.” Steve looked confused at that, but once Nat was speeding down the freeway, he’d understand. Her trailer driving skills were fearsome and admirable. “I’ll ride in back with them and hopefully make sure my car gets out in one piece. So Barton, Barnes, I guess you’re going together.”

            Bucky smirked and turned to Clint. They almost always rode to the show barn together, and Clint always supplied a wealth of snacks—even if the drive was only about two hours. He slid into the passenger’s seat, immediately propping his feet up on the dashboard and scooting his seat as far back as possible.

            “Aw, c’mon man, we’ve talked about this,” Clint groaned as he got in, pushing his legs down. “If you’re gonna make me drive and eat all my food, you have to follow the car rules.” He ordered, putting his car in gear and following the trailer.

            “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just really fun to mess with you.” Bucky shrugged, rummaging through Clint’s bag to find a granola bar and Oreos.

            “Speaking of fun to annoy,” Clint smirked, glancing over. “Steve. You need to let me know when you’re official, because I think I embarrassed him.”

            “How do you know I’m even trying—“ He cut off, looking at Clint harshly. “Wait, what did you say to him?”

            Barton shrugged innocently. “It was just polite small talk. We were talking about how he liked his house, he mentioned how ridiculously comfortable the bed is, and I asked if you enjoyed it as much as he did.”

            The brunet stared at him. “How are you not dead? How have you not said something that got you shot or stabbed or something?” He wondered, shaking his head.

            “I dunno. It’s a gift.” Clint answered with a grin. “Now gimme an Oreo.”

            Bucky sighed loudly but offered him the cookie, knowing that two hours of Clint’s jokes was definitely better than two hours of wondering if Natasha was going to kill them all. And, of course, the snacks helped.

 

~~

 

            By the time they got to the show barn, Bucky was itching to ride. Natasha and Clint seemed to be as well, because as soon as the trailer was empty, all three were tacking up and pulling on helmets. Steve got shavings for the stalls and starting putting out water. Tony went to the main office to grab a schedule for the weekend and find out which arenas they would each be riding in for the actual competition.

            The show barn was enormous, built to have multiple events in various disciplines. There were three rings for hunter events alone, which was where Bucky and Winnie would be this time. His arena already had about fifteen other riders going around, some along the rail and others jumping, and Bucky cursed under his breath as he swung onto Winnie’s back. Rings with this many riders going at once were annoying at best, and dangerous at worst.

            Bucky didn’t let the added difficulty of avoiding other horses ruin his ride, and soon he and Winnie were had managed to walk, trot, and canter around without crashing. Jumping was a bit more complicated, though. There were ten jumps in the ring, organized to make a fairly simple course when in the ring alone. With so many other riders, however, it was impossible to do more than one or two at a time without running into someone. It wasn’t as satisfying as completing a full course, but Winnie still got all the warm-up he needed.

            Back at their line of stalls, Bucky traded Winnie to Steve for a fully tacked Spider and smiled appreciatively at the gesture. It would only get more crowded as other riders arrived, so he was grateful for the time saved.

            But thankfully, since he’d only be showing Spider in the flat, he wouldn’t have to worry about any of the jumps. Instead, Bucky took his time, letting Spider see and hear all the new things around him. For a horse that refused to get in a trailer for so long, he was surprisingly calm about the showground atmosphere. Once Bucky was sure the horse was relaxed, they went through the paces and did their best to weave between the other riders.

            When he finally got back to the stalls for good, Bucky pulled off his helmet with a contented sigh.

            “Good rides?” Steve asked, stepping out of Loki’s stall after taking care of him.

            “Yeah, I’d say so. It would’ve been better if we weren’t packed like sardines in those arenas, but whatever.” Bucky joked as he took the saddle off of Spider.

            Steve laughed as he switched out the horse’s bridle for a halter. “Glad to hear it. Clint and Tony already went to the hotel, by the way. I’m going to help Natasha with Widow, and then apparently we’re having “family dinner”?” He quoted, looking over curiously.

            “Oh, yeah, that’s what Tony calls it. Since we’re all stuck together, he buys a bunch of pizza and drinks pretty much every night of the show.” He explained with a smile. “It’s always fun, don’t worry.”

            “Hmm, I’m sure it is.” The blond eyed him suspiciously, obviously wondering if this would end up as another failed prank. “You go on ahead with that, I’ll take care of Spider while I wait for Nat.”

            “Aw, thanks, sweetheart,” Bucky replied with a wink, catching a glimpse of Steve’s light blush before walking away.

            The hotel was just off of the show barn’s property, giving Bucky a short walk to think. Normally, he’d use this time to try to calm himself down before a show, but today he was wondering if Steve was going to blush every single time Bucky called him a pet name. He kind of hoped so.

 

~~

 

            Steve had admittedly been surprised when he learned that Tony paid for hotel rooms every show instead of driving four hours every day, but now he was just grateful to not have to make the drive back. And, by the looks of the hotel, a lot of other riders did the same thing. He wondered idly if the hotel always smelled like horses as he knocked on Tony’s door.

            “Oh, that’s him, everyone shut up!” He heard Bucky from outside, frowning slightly. When Bucky yanked open the door with a grin, the group behind him burst into applause.

            “Uh?” He asked as Bucky guided him inside the hotel room. Tony, Clint, and Nat sat on the floor around a coffee table, which was stocked with pizza boxes, beer, and a couple of bottles of wine. Bucky pulled him over to sit down with the bunch, handing him a paper plate and beer without explanation.

            “Congratulations, Rogers, you’re officially part of this weird little family. Whether you like it or not.” Tony informed him with a smile as he raised a beer can. “To Steve, the best damn barn manager we’ve had. And not just because you’re not stealing from me.”

            Natasha rolled her eyes. “You were so close to making a decent toast, Stark. But honestly, we’re glad you’re here.” She added, raising her own red solo cup of wine.

            “And thanks for not hating me even though I pretty much spent the past month trying to constantly trick you.” Clint grinned, tipping his beer as well.

            “Really, Steve, you’ve been a huge help to all of us.” Bucky said, and Steve immediately thought of the night in front of Mjolnir’s stall.

            He smiled at Bucky, then each of the others, and raised his beer as well. “Alright, here’s to this weird little family!” He replied, toasting all their drinks together before they all took a sip.

            Steve realized very quickly why Tony referred to them as “family dinners.” They sat on the floor for a couple of hours, passing around pizza and cracking jokes between the five of them; it certainly felt like the kind of family he’d imagined.

            “Hey, Mr. Rogers, you spacing out over there?” Clint teased.

            Steve started to reply, but Tony interjected. “That reminds me. When are we going to talk about how this man’s name is the same as the beloved children’s show host? Can we get him a cardigan” He asked the room.

            Bucky almost choked on his drink, and Natasha elbowed him. “You’re one to laugh, your name sounds like some kid tried to make up a cartoon about ponies.” She retorted.

            “Thank you, Nat. At least she gets why I didn’t believe you at first.” Steve joined in, bumping his shoulder against Bucky’s.

            “What can I say, I was destined from birth to be a rider,” Bucky laughed. 

            “Mhm, sure. Well, Mr. Destiny and friends, I should go check on the horses one more time before calling it a night.” Steve said with a reluctant sigh.

            “It’s probably a good idea to turn in. We’ve got a lot going on tomorrow.” Natasha started to stand as well, helping Clint up as she did. “C’mon, Barton, our rooms are both two floors down.”

            Tony stood up, only to flop immediately on his bed. “Then goodnight my little riders, sleep well.” He offered a wave without getting up.

            The four of them left the suite together, with Clint and Natasha taking an elevator down. Bucky started to go with them, but hesitated to look back at Steve.

            “You mind if I go back with you? I wanna see Winnie again before I go to bed.”

            Steve was surprised at the request, but smiled warmly. “Not at all, I could use the company. Who knows what’s lurking around the barn at night.” He teased.

            “That’s all I’m here for, being a bodyguard.” He said with mock offense, shaking his head as he pressed the button to call the elevator back.

            The blond laughed, and they made their way out of the hotel and into the cool night air. Steve breathed in deeply, wishing it could stay this nice when the sun was out, and looked over at Bucky, whose eyes were looking down to the ground as they walked.

            “How’re you doing, Buck?” He asked, wishing he could help in some way.

            Bucky shrugged, walking for a moment in silence before replying. “I’m not as bad as I have been. I’ll still get anxious if I think about competing too much, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

            “I know you can handle it,” Steve replied quietly. “Just remember that you don’t have to handle it alone, okay?”

            Bucky glanced over at him, smiling slightly, and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

            They walked the last few minutes to the barn in comfortable silence, and Bucky went to give Winnie a few treats while Steve checked their hay and water.

            “Hmm, I think I’m going to try to find some more shavings, Daredevil’s stall looks a little—“ Steve glanced over at Bucky and caught him mid yawn. “You should go back and sleep, Buck. I’m pretty sure I can make it back on my own.” He told the other, smiling fondly.

            “And what about me?” The brunet grinned, walking over to stand in front of Steve. “What if I get nervous on the long walk home?” He asked, practically pouting.

            Steve chuckled. “Oh no, I can’t let that happen. How can I help you make it safely back to civilization?”

            Bucky looked up at him, grey eyes unreadable. “How ‘bout a good luck kiss?” He asked in his usual cocky manner, tongue sneaking out to wet his lower lip.

            Steve stared at him, completely unsure of what to do. Bucky only had one can of beer, but he could be upset about the show, and—

            The brunet started to move away, and Steve could already tell he was going to joke it off. Before he could let himself overthink it anymore, he wrapped a hand around the back of Bucky’s neck and pulled him into a soft kiss. It lasted only a moment, not nearly long enough before he broke away, suddenly wondering if he had actually been joking about it after all.

            But then Bucky surged against him, pressing him back against the stalls to kiss him properly. It was messy and heated, and there was no doubt that Bucky had been waiting just as long as Steve for this. He allowed Bucky’s tongue to slip briefly into his mouth, returning with a scrape against his lip that made Bucky pull back with a smirk.

            “I can’t fucking believe this took so long,” he murmured, adding a few kisses to the corner of Steve’s jaw, still pressed flush against him.

            “Well the good news,” Steve replied, fingertips skimming across Bucky’s shoulders, “is that you’re going to have fantastic luck tomorrow.” He smiled, kissing him again to savor the warm feeling that traced all across his body. “But we both need to get some sleep. Think you got enough to make it back to the hotel?”

            In answer, Bucky leaned into him again, kissing Steve breathless until a horse somewhere down the aisle kicked at its door, startling the two apart again

            “I guess it’ll have to do,” he sighed, eyes flickering back to Steve’s lips before he stepped back. “For now, at least.” He amended with a devious grin.

            Steve could feel his face heat up, but was beaming anyway. “For now,” he agreed, watching Bucky turn and walk away until he couldn’t see his figure in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I wasn't really planning on putting another chapter out tonight, but then I was waiting all day for an app to come out so... Here we go!
> 
> Here's a youtube video I found that shows what a typical hunter jumper course would look like, in case you need any help visualizing it. Plus, you can see basically what Bucky and co have to wear while showing (you have to wear the jacket, no matter how hot it is outside): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lw9MBcu0I


	5. Chapter 5

            When Bucky’s alarm went off the next morning, the first thing he remembered was the feel of Steve’s lips against his. It took him a solid minute to go through the entire day in his head, double checking to make sure it wasn’t some kind of hallucination. If it was, it’d been pretty damn believable. After that, he played the previous evening back again and again as he pulled on his britches and buttoned up his shirt. For the spilt second when Steve had hesitated, Bucky had been completely positive he’d ruined everything- their friendship, his chances, and definitely the moment. But, when Steve had pulled him in, _god,_ that made every moment of doubt worth it.

            Two sharp knocks came on the door just as Bucky zipped up the back of his boots and grabbed his riding jacket. He swung the door open to see Natasha, looking perfectly comfortable in her bright white dressage pants (Bucky thought again of how grateful he was that he didn't have to worry about keeping pants like those clean in a barn). Clint and Steve were likely already at the stalls, and Tony wouldn’t make his way down until one of them started competing.

            “Ready to head—“ She frowned suddenly, narrowing her eyes at him. “Why do you look so happy?” She asked suspiciously.

            “What, can’t I just be excited for the show?” He responded innocently, following her towards the elevator.

            She gave him a dark look as they stepped in. “First of all, you’ve never been excited about a show before, just anxious. Second, even if you were, you wouldn’t have that ridiculous grin on your face. And, finally, it’s too early for you to be experiencing any emotion other than annoyance.” She finished, staring him down in the confines of the elevator.

            “I’d like to say again that I’m thankful we’re on the same side,” Bucky commented as they made their way through the hotel lobby.

            “Mhm, you’re welcome.” Natasha replied with a smile. “But really, James, it’s nice to see you happy, regardless of whether you want to talk about it or not.”

            Honestly, Bucky wanted to talk about it. He wanted to start talking about it and not stop, but knew better than to say anything without speaking to Steve first; he wasn’t going to mess this up so quickly.

            “I am happy, which feels weird since I’m competing in a few hours." He allowed, grateful she didn't press him. "What about you, how’re you holding up?” He asked, thinking of what Steve had said about her nerves.

            Natasha looked at him sharply, reflexively defensive before taking a steadying breath. “I’m fine. Better than I have been.” She paused for a moment and sighed softly. “It takes a while to get over the psychological shit they put us through, but I think we’re managing quite well.” She replied calmly, and Bucky smiled.

            “Good point. But if you ever wanna talk about it or something, you know I’m here for you, right? And pretty much everyone else at the barn.”

            Natasha nodded. “I do, and I appreciate it. Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer some day, but for now, we’ve got a show to win.”

“Now that’s the Natasha attitude." He grinned. "If I don’t see you again before you get on, break a leg.”

            The redhead rolled her eyes. “Great word choice, Barnes. I’d tell you to wish me luck instead, but I’ve never needed it.” She replied with a smirk before heading over to check on Widow and Loki.

            Bucky walked over to Winnie’s stall, stroking his nose just as Steve came around the corner. The blond lit up as soon as he saw him, which instantly made the entire morning seem brighter.

            “Morning, Buck,” he greeted warmly, stepping closer but stopping short when he saw Natasha. “I, uh, checked with your rings. Bucky, you’ll be on Winnie at nine and Spider sometime around eleven. Natasha, you’re not going until two this afternoon.”

            Natasha groaned. “Why am I always the one who has to wait all day to ride? I’m finding Clint, he better find a way to entertain me.” She grumbled, brushing past them.

            Steve waited until she rounded a corner before turning to him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I wasn’t really sure if you’d told her anything, or if there’s anything to really tell, since I’m not totally sure what we’re—“

            Bucky interrupted by giving him a soft kiss, running a hand through his hair reassuringly. “Don’t overthink this, Stevie. How ‘bout we keep whatever this is between you and me until we can figure it out ourselves, hm?” He offered softly.

            “That sounds perfect.” The tender, relieved smile Steve gave him was enough to make Bucky’s stomach flip and question if he could handle so many conflicting feelings in one weekend.

“Good.” He murmured, taking a reluctant step back. “Then I’m going to buy some coffee, then maybe you could help me with Winnie? I hear from Clint you know how to actually braid a tail. Plus, there’s a good chance I might want a little more luck from you.”

Steve tried to roll his eyes, but the grin across his face definitely ruined the effect.

 

~~

 

Much too soon, Bucky was in the saddle with Steve leading Winnie towards the arena he would be competing in. Everything about horse and rider was spotless, from the black jacket he had to wear down to Winnie’s polished hooves. Bucky’s fingers fidgeted slightly in his gloves, and he wondered for the fifth time if he’d really spent enough time warming up.

“Just remember to keep your shoulders back and elbows down,” Steve was saying before stopping Winnie to look up at the man. “Hey. You’re going to be amazing. You’re ready, I promise.” He told him with a fierce conviction.

Earlier, while the two were taking their time to get everything polished and on the horse, the blond had pulled him into the tack room to give him a hearty dose of luck. Then, just before Bucky had gotten on, another dab of luck on his cheek. The memory of it allowed Bucky to smile despite the pit in his stomach, and on some level he knew he trusted Steve enough to believe him.

“Yeah, you’re right. We’re ready for this.” He said, squaring his shoulders and facing the waiting arena.

Steve grinned and patted Winnie’s neck, leading them right up to the gate. “Damn right you do.” He said before stepping back, and suddenly it was just him and Winnie standing at the gate to the arena.

Over the sound of his own pulse, he could hear the murmur of the crowd watching from the stands, where Natasha, Clint, and Tony would be watching. The sound of his breathing seemed impossibly loud in contrast, and Bucky’s vision started to swim dizzyingly.

 _“Entering the ring now is number 435, James Barnes, with The Winter Soldier_ ,” the loudspeaker announced.

Bucky closed his eyes and took a slow breath. When he opened them again, he nudged Winnie forward with new determination, and the rest of the world seemed to fall silent as his hooves hit the soft dirt. They knew what they needed to do, and damn well were going to do it.

They easily picked up a canter along the edge of the arena as Bucky’s eyes locked onto their first fence. Bucky steadied Winnie’s stride and counted down in his head until the horse leapt neatly over the jump. Next, a vertical to a triple bar, then bending smoothly around to a solid wall; Bucky kept the entire course running in the back of his mind while he focused on keeping Winnie’s pace even and getting to each jump squarely. It felt like time had completely stopped while they were in the ring, yet they seemed to finish in the blink of an eye.

“That looked _amazing_ ,” Steve said as soon as they stepped out of the ring. “How’d it feel?” He asked, smiling excitedly up.

Bucky hesitated, still feeling slightly in a daze, before he grinned down at the blond. “Pretty fuckin’ good.”

 

~~

 

Watching Bucky ride was an experience Steve wasn’t entirely prepared for. He’d seen him plenty of times around the barn in passing, but this was entirely different. Horse and rider seemed to float over every fence, with Bucky’s lithe frame rocking ever so slightly to the motion of Winnie’s canter. Their perfection looked completely effortless, the look of sheer concentration on Bucky’s face the only hint at how hard they were both working.

But they still had three jumping rounds to go, and the brunet wasted no time in turning to mentally go through his next course. Steve had to practically force a bottle of water into his hand, since he seemed too caught up in his own head to notice how much he was sweating.

Steve turned to watch a few other riders go while Bucky murmured the next course to himself. Despite being obviously biased, Steve wasn’t impressed by any of their rides. One hurled around the course, randomly taking out strides in lines; another couldn’t seem to get straight to any jump, making all of the distances awkward; one rider misremembered the course, and was disqualified immediately after taking the wrong jump.

“ _Joining us now is Brock Rumlow, number 557, on Crossbones_ ,” came the loudspeaker from above, and Bucky visibly flinched.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked immediately, looking up at him with concern.

“He’s from my old barn.” Bucky replied stiffly, keeping his eyes on the rider huge, chestnut horse.

The rider, Brock apparently, had a crop and pair of long spurs that he used freely to get his horse moving, but held tightly to the reins to keep the bit uncomfortably far back in the horse’s mouth. The chestnut kept his ears pinned flat against his skull, looking absolutely murderous as he cantered to the first jump. Watching the two, Steve was half expecting the horse to refuse and try to buck his rider off.

Instead, they made it over the first jump and all the rest, with Brock consistently using both spurs and crop to keep his horse in line, and Crossbones seemed to be fighting the bit every single step of the way. Despite their constant conflict, the two finished their round cleanly, looking better than most of the others Steve had watched. He glanced up at Bucky, whose jaw was tight and fingers were clenched.

“Aw, hey there, Buckaroo.” Brock mocked as he passed by, his horse swishing his tail in annoyance. “Hope you’re ready for some nice red ribbons.” He smirked, kicking his horse to move away before either of them could respond.

“Just ignore that asshole,” Steve muttered, shooting his back a glare before glancing up at Bucky. “Hey, look at me,” he said, giving the man’s sleeve a gentle tug until he met his eyes. “You and Winnie look incredible. Honestly. I’m so proud of you for doing this.” He moved a hand to rest on Bucky’s knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Bucky took a deep breath, grey eyes still looking stormy with uncertainty, but he managed a small smile. “Thanks, Steve. I’m really glad you’re here,” he murmured before looking back out to the arena and squaring his shoulders. “And you’re right, we are pretty incredible,” he added, grin looking more sincere as he nudged Winnie forward to start his next round.

As the jumping portion continued, Steve was dismayed to realize that it would be down to Bucky and Brock for the blue. He did his best to reassure Bucky between each round, gave him water, and kept Winnie away from Crossbones to avoid any other goading.

Finally, all the horses and riders entered the arena for the flat class—the only thing left before the results were given out. There were a total of ten riders in the arena, all expected to walk, trot, and canter as soon as the loudspeaker told them. Bucky managed to find a decent spot on the opposite side of the ring as Brock, but Steve still felt uneasy as the class began.

Horses immediately began circling and cutting across the arena as they trotted, everyone trying to find their own space. When it came to the canter, Bucky had still managed to keep his distance from everyone else while maintaining a steady stride—until Crossbones turned across the arena, cutting the two off and immediately slowing his pace. Steve could see the flash of anger on Bucky’s face as he tried to circle Winnie, but was forced to break to a trot to avoid hitting another rider. He regained composure quickly and cantered again, but if the judge had seen him trotting it could cost him.

By the time the riders lined up in the middle of the ring to hear the results of the flat class, Steve’s knuckles were white from gripping the fence post. He knew that the flat wasn’t nearly as important as the jumping rounds, but it could potentially give an indication of which horses the judge liked.

After a few agonizing moments, the loudspeaker crackled to life again. “ _In first place, number 557: Brock Rumlow and Crossbones_ ,” it stated, and Steve’s shoulders slumped as he watched the annoying grin on Brock’s face as he left the arena, snatching a blue ribbon from the ring attendant as he went.

“ _In second place, number 435: James Barnes on The Winter Soldier_ ,” it continued. Steve gave Bucky his best smile, but he could tell the brunet was disappointed in himself as he picked up the red ribbon.

“Don’t worry about it, Buck, you know it doesn’t count as much as the jumping, and that’s where you’re strongest,” he reassured, guiding Winnie as far away from Brock as possible. Bucky just nodded and slid off of Winnie’s back, loosening the girth to let the horse relax a little while they waited.

Eventually, the speaker came on again, and Steve immediately reached our to give Bucky’s hand a comforting squeeze.

“ _In the first over-fences round, first place goes to James Barnes and The Winter Soldier_ …” Steve beamed excitedly and looked over at Bucky, who seemed genuinely surprised

Of the four jumping rounds, Bucky ended with one second place and three firsts, which meant he had first place overall and won him the Grand Champion ribbon. Meanwhile, Brock ended up with three seconds and a third, getting second overall, and the Reserve Champion status. He certainly didn’t seem pleased about it, Steve thought just a little smugly before wrapping his arm around Bucky’s shoulders.

“What’d I tell you? There was no way you guys weren’t going to win!” He exclaimed, thrilled to see Bucky’s genuine smile back again.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, there was never a doubt in my mind,” Bucky laughed, pulling Steve closer to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Especially with all the luck I brought with me.” He added with a grin.

Cheers from the stands broke them apart as Clint, Natasha, and Tony came over, all looking ecstatic at the victory.

“That was some quality riding, Barnes,” Tony told him, clapping him on the back roughly.

“Even though I wanted to throw rocks at that one asshole who cut you off in the flat,” Clint chimed in. “Seriously, that horse looked like it had a wasp’s nest under its tail the whole time, I thought it was going to kick Winnie in the face or something.”

Natasha shrugged. “Nothing James couldn’t handle, clearly. Now he just has to do it all again tomorrow,” she added with a smile, clearly confidant that he would be able to.

“Ugh, yeah, but first I have to take care of Winnie and ride Spider around. How the hell do we keep doing two-day shows? This is exhausting,” Bucky groaned, pulling off his helmet.

The blond stepped in quickly, taking Winnie’s reins. “Don’t worry about that, go get some food and rest a while. I can rinse him off.” He offered, wanting to do everything possible to make it easier for him.

Bucky grinned, clearly relieved. “Thanks, Steve. I’ll come help you out as soon as I get some food in me.” He promised before heading towards the food stand with the others.

Steve smiled and turned Winnie around, heading back for the stalls. “Your rider always acts like me helping is some big deal,” he said to the horse. “But honestly, I enjoy taking care of you and the others, and I love making him happy. And you too, of course,” he added when the grey perked up his ears, as if in question.

When Steve got Winnie untacked and to the washrack, his mood immediately diminished slightly. Crossbones was being hosed off in one of the racks by who Steve assumed was a stable hand, and Brock was watching the process disapprovingly.

“Are you fucking blind, or did you mean to leave that nice dry patch on his back?” Rumlow snapped. The groom pressed his lips into a tight line, but rinsed the area being complained about.

Steve ducked his head and tried to go by unnoticed, just wanting to rinse Winnie and give him some treats. Unfortunately, Brock spotted him.

“Ah, look at this, it’s Bucky’s favorite stable hand. So, Blondie, what exactly are you hoping to get out of him? I saw your sweet little hand-holding,” he sneered, seeming annoyed when Steve ignored him. “Please tell me you two are a couple, because that would just make my damn day. Bucky’s new boy toy, a groom with dreams of grandeur. Actually, that might good for ol’ Bucky Bear. He’s pretty fucked up, I doubt he could handle an actual relationship.” Brock continued nonchalantly, inspecting his nails. “But I’m sure you’re just glad to be getting attention from something that doesn’t have four legs.”

Steve finished washing Winnie and untied the horse, keeping himself calm by thinking of the carrots he’d brought for Winnie. He walked directly over to Rumlow, stopping in front of him.

“The next time you have a comment about another rider, I advise you to keep it to yourself.” He warned, voice low. “Enjoy your red ribbons. I’m sure you’ll get plenty more tomorrow.” He added, leading Winnie away without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS ARE SO NICE. Omg. Seriously, every time I see your comments and kudos it warms my heart (and reminds me to keep writing). Thank you for your support!!
> 
> Side note: I've been riding competitively for a really long time, so I'm not even sure if this is common for other sports, but blue ribbons are always first place and red are always second. The rest can vary, but it doesn't matter much for this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW parts at the end of the chapter

Bucky hadn't had much time to relax before he'd had to get Spider ready. Steve did most of the work, but seemed weirdly preoccupied; he hardly reacted to Bucky's banter, and didn't respond other than to smile stiffly. Bucky didn't have a chance to ask him about it before getting on, but chalked it up to show stress and focused on his ride.

Bucky'd been paranoid of seeing Brock or someone else from the old barn, but when no one came, he was able to relax and get Spider to do the same. The small horse did very well for his first show, earning a few ribbons and only spooking once, which made Bucky proud. Back at the stalls, he set his newer ribbons with the ones from earlier and turned to Steve.

“Not too shabby, huh?” He grinned, starting to take off his gloves.

Steve glanced up from Spider’s girth, seeming to snap out of a train of thought. “Wha—Oh, yeah, you’re doing great.” He replied, forcing a smile.

Bucky’s grin immediately faded into a frown. He finished with Spider silently, leading him back into his stall, before standing in front of Steve.

“Alright, what’s going on? You’re acting like you got shit for Christmas.” He asked, arms crossed.

Steve opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to protest, before changing his mind and sighing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to bring it up during the show. I know you don’t need any extra stress,” he explained.

“Hey, I can handle it. I’d rather be stressed than see you like this anyway.” Bucky replied a little more gently. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Brock talked to me in the washracks. And I know,” he admitted with a rush, continuing before Bucky could respond, “that he’s an ass from your old barn and everything, but I don’t understand why he hates you so much. I tried to just ignore him, but honestly the more I think about it, the more I think I should’ve socked him in the jaw. He said some awful stuff, Buck,” Steve told him apologetically, as if it had somehow been partially his fault.

Bucky rubbed a hand over his face, regretting that he’d wanted to discuss this now. Of course Brock was still stirring shit up. But Steve deserved the truth, especially if it was bothering him this much.

“Yeah, he does hate me, and maybe it’s a little justified in some kinda fucked up way.” He answered, leaning back against the stall door. “I’ll try to make this story short. So the owner, Pierce, really liked me for some reason. Okay, not “for some reason,” ‘cause I did everything he asked without asking questions. Apparently, not everyone could or did follow all the directions, but I didn’t know I had a choice.

“Anyway, Brock resented me for that I guess, and then I rubbed salt in the wound when I left ‘cause apparently I was disloyal and stabbed everyone in the chest as I walked out. Plus, Pierce and Stark have never gotten along, so he think’s I’m a traitor, basically.” He shrugged, hoping to seem nonchalant about it. “So anyway, he’s always had a talent for being a complete asshole, and now he has someone to direct it at.”

Steve smiled slightly at that. "Yeah, he's already pretty good at getting under my skin, and he hasn't actually met me." 

Bucky frowned, standing up straight and squeezing his hand on his shoulder. "What did he say to you?" He asked, immediately ready to take Brock out. It was one thing to attack Bucky the way he did, but Steve? Hell no.

"Nothing, nothing that meant anything." He replied immediately, seeing Bucky's anger. "He's full of hot air, I didn't listen to a word he said. Really, Buck, I was just worried about you." 

Bucky relaxed a little, moving his hand from Steve's shoulder to cup his cheek. "Aw, don't worry about me. I can handle that douchebag by myself." He smiled fondly, oddly enjoying his protectiveness. 

Steve leaned into the touch, turning his head slightly to kiss the palm of Bucky's hand. "I know. I know you can handle anything by yourself, but I still want to be there to help you any way I can." He murmured, large blue eyes earnest and honest. 

Bucky stroked his thumb across the other's cheek, amazed at how easily Steve seemed to follow him into the shit-show of his life. "I know you do. And if you're still open to punch him, I'd really like to watch that," he teased in reply, relying on humor to deal with the emotions he was experiencing. He’d never really felt this way with anyone, he wasn’t even sure of what he was feeling, and the realization made him somewhat nervous.

Steve laughed and kissed his hand again before tilting his forehead to lean against Bucky's. "Hmm, I guess I could throw a few punches to see that smile of yours," he replied quietly, smiling as he leaned forward to press their lips together. "Especially Brock," he admitted with a laugh, breath fanning out against Bucky's lips before kissing him again. 

Bucky was entirely certain he could stay like that forever, tongue edging against Steve's lips and hand winding from his jaw line to tangle in the hair at the nape of the blonde’s neck. Despite the hot day and the sweat at the small of his back, Bucky wanted to pull him closer and wrap his arms around him entirely.

But, too soon, Steve pushed back with his hands on Bucky's hips, lips tugging at his lower lip as his eyes traced along Bucky's mouth. "Nat's going to be coming soon to tack up Loki," he explained, looking as reluctant as Bucky felt. 

"So? I bet I can find us an empty stall somewhere of you want some privacy," he suggested, only half joking. 

Steve only chuckled, giving him a chaste kiss before pulling away while keeping his fingers in the loops of Bucky’s britches. "As romantic as that sounds, I think I should help with Loki instead. Maybe later," he allowed jokingly, moving away entirely to get Natasha’s saddle.

Bucky sighed dramatically, as if Steve had gravely insulted him, and leaned back against the stall door to watch Steve work. Even if he couldn’t drag him away like he wanted, he could at least enjoy the view.

 

~~

 

Later, Bucky sat with Tony and Clint in the stands to watch Natasha ride. Steve was watching from the entrance of the ring, ready with a bottle of water the same way he was for Bucky. Natasha refused to drink any while actually on a horse’s back, claiming it made her nauseous, but that didn’t stop Steve from offering it every time she stepped out of the ring.

“They’re looking pretty damn good,” Clint commented as he watched Loki dance across the arena, hooves seeming to barely touch the ground.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Tony agreed, transfixed by their performance and remaining silent until they finished. “That horse was a pain in the ass when it first got to the barn. I pretty much assumed he’d stay that way forever.” He admitted, watching the pair exit the arena.

Bucky snorted. “You really think any horse could stand a chance against Natasha? Come on. I’m pretty sure she could train a pig to fly or a horse to assassinate important political figures. She’s more than good at what she does.”

“Now that’d be a plot twist,” Clint commented with a grin, glancing over at Bucky. “A horse spy killing the president. If anyone could make that happen, it’d be Nat.”

“Y’know, maybe we shouldn’t discuss the murderous tendencies of my employees. I’d actually really appreciate that. I really don’t need nightmares of my own horses suffocating me with a pillow in the middle of the night.” Tony retorted, watching the next horse begin but not seeming especially impressed.

Bucky could tell that Stark was anxious to buy a new horse or sell one of his; that was always his main goal at horse competitions, regardless of how well his riders did. So far, while all the horses had been performing spectacularly, the owner hadn’t gotten any interest from potential buyers. It wasn’t that they needed money or new horses; Tony just had a tendency to get bored when things stayed the same too long.

“Alright, I’m going to walk around, scout some horses out,” Tony said, standing suddenly. “We all know Ms. Romanoff is going to win this round, anyway.” He decided, watching the horse in the ring for a few moments before turning to walk out of the arena.

Clint watched him go and rolled his eyes. “He knows we’re full, right? We literally don’t have another stall to keep a horse in.”

“Please, like that’ll stop him. If he wants something, he’ll make it happen.” He scoffed.

“Hmm, yeah, that seems to be a trend at this barn.” Clint replied, glancing over at Bucky out of the corner of his eye. “Speaking of which, Nat and I noticed that you two “took a walk to the barn” last night.” He said, raising his brows expectantly.

“I don’t even know what you’re trynna imply by saying it like that, but yeah, we took an actual walk to the barn.” Bucky replied casually, still watching the horse in the arena without paying much attention.

“Just a walk to the barn, huh? Then back to your room?” He goaded with a grin, pushing his elbow against the brunet’s arm.

Bucky rolled his eyes and pushed him away, finally turning to look at him. “First of all, no. We didn’t even walk back together, he had to help out one of the horses or something. Second, I don’t kiss and tell.” He replied, trying—and failing—to not sound too smug.

Barton picked up on it. “Whoa, so you actually did make some kinda move? I’m pretty sure kissing in a barn at night is high school level, but it’s better than nothing! Are you gonna walk around holding hands now? That’d be sweet for about 30 seconds and then get gross. Keep that in mind.”

Bucky groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “No, we’re not, ‘cause we weren’t going to tell anyone about this ‘cause we don’t even know what “this” is ‘cause I have shitty timing. I don’t know what he wants from me, and I sure as hell don’t know what I want from him. So no, we won’t be walking around holding hands.” He finished flatly, staring down at his boots. He felt partially relieved to be saying it all out loud, but still a little guilty.

“Aw, c’mon, don’t look so sad about it. You’re an idiot, yeah, but you’ll figure it out.” Clint responded, awkwardly trying to pat him on the shoulder.

“Gee, thanks.” Bucky muttered sarcastically. “Another thing we all seem to have in common: being emotionally stunted.”

“Yeah, well, at least we kinda get it,” he laughed, kicking his boots up to rest on the chair in front of him. “We’re all idiots. It’s fine. 'Sides, if one of us had our shit altogether, it'd make the others feel bad. We're just being fair."

"Great. By the way, please don't tell anyone yet. I know you're shit at keeping secrets, but even like 24 hours would help us out, okay?" He asked, desperate to keep things calm until after the show.

"Okay, okay. Tony'll be clueless anyway, but no guarantees about Natasha."

Bucky sighed, watching as she walked into the arena again with Loki. "Yeah, I got that. I don't really care if you guys know, I just don't need any extra pressure on this, alright?" 

"Sir yes sir, no extra pressure from me. I'll probably even get bored making fun of you for acting like a lovesick teenager eventually." Barton added sweetly.

“I’m not acting like a—“ Bucky cut off, deciding to just shove his arm again, wondering if it was comforting or just annoying that he could always rely on Clint's brand of assholery. Maybe a little bit of both.  


~~

 

After Natasha finished with blues on Loki and Widow, Bucky went back to the hotel to relax a while before they’d all meet up again for dinner. Until then, he just wanted to take a long shower and lay facedown on his bed.

Except, as he relaxed under the hot spray, his mind kept wandering to thoughts of Steve. It started innocently at first, remembering how affectionate his blue eyes had looked as he’d kissed Bucky’s palm. But then his imagination took a different direction, with Steve turning his head slightly to take two of Bucky’s fingers in his mouth, blue eyes lidded as he ran his tongue against his skin and sucked freely.

Bucky moaned softly to himself, knowing he’d regret this as he wrapped a hand around himself, but he couldn’t stop picturing Steve kneeling down and putting his lips around Bucky’s cock. He could imagine too clearly how Steve’s flushed face would look, long eyelashes fanned against his cheek until he looked up with dark eyes and—

He bit his lower lip to stifle any noise as he came into his hand, standing still under the water for a few moments before washing himself off again and grabbing a towel as he stepped out _._ Great. It definitely won’t be weird to see the guy I just imagined sucking my dick in an hour, he thought sourly as he grabbed clean clothes to wear.

To make matters worse, just as he was pulling a shirt over his head, a knock came from the door. And of fucking course, it was Steve.

“Hey, Buck, can I talk to you for a second?” His hair was wet as well, clearly fresh from the shower, and his shirt clung to his chest in a way that Bucky was _not_ going to think about. “Is it a bad time?” He asked uncertainly when Bucky didn’t respond immediately.

“No, no, it’s fine. C’mon in, make yourself at home,” Bucky replied, trying to keep his head back on track. He did not need this to be any more awkward.

The blond walked in and sat on the corner of Bucky’s bed, which Bucky now regretted was the only furniture in the room other than a wardrobe. He really didn’t need the image of Steve on his bed, but his train of thought was cut off when he continued speaking. “I don’t think it’s anything really serious, but I wanted to be honest with you.”

Bucky frowned slightly, wondering what in the hell that meant, before sitting down beside him—with an appropriate distance between them. “Okay, shoot.”

“Well, I didn’t really mean to tell her, but Natasha and I were talking and I ended up telling her about last night. She didn’t really seem surprised or anything, but after you said you wanted to wait—“

“I told Clint.” Bucky interrupted, not wanting Steve to feel guilty about something like that. “At least Natasha probably weaseled the information outta you, I just kinda told Clint.” He admitted with a chuckle. “I think they’ve kinda been expecting it from us. But I really don’t think they’ll make it weird or anything.”

“I don’t know, it didn’t take much for me to tell Nat. I think I kind of just wanted to tell someone,” he said sheepishly, and Bucky laughed.

“Don’t worry, I know what you mean. But man, we’re shit at keeping our own secret. At least Tony probably doesn’t know. That counts for somethin’, right?” He asked with a grin.

Steve smiled, and it did _not_ give Bucky warm feelings. “Sure, even though I think he’d care least of all.”

“Mm, good point. And there’s a fair chance Barton told him already because he can’t keep his mouth shut about workplace gossip.” He admitted. “But hey, thanks for telling me. I was gonna tell you too, by the way, eventually.” Bucky added.

Steve rolled his eyes with a smile and pushed himself off of the bed. “Right. Well, I’m glad we’re at least on the same page. I guess I’ll see you at family dinner tonight?”

“Hell yeah, you can’t get rid of me that easy.” He replied as he stood, feeling admittedly relieved. He needed more time to clear his head.

But, as Steve started to head to the door, Bucky caught his elbow and pulled him into a kiss. Steve seemed slightly surprised at the intensity of it as Bucky pushed his back against the door, but he returned with enthusiasm and wrapped his arms around the other. When Bucky pulled back with a devilish smirk, Steve was breathless and his lips were red.

“Told ya you can’t get rid of me that easy.” He said by way of explanation, wrapping his arm around Steve to pull open the door before he delved into something he’d regret. Again.

Steve licked his lips, looking Bucky over obviously before stepping backwards quickly into the doorway. “Good, I think I want to keep you around a while,” he murmured in a way that sounded ridiculously suggestive to Bucky, before he turned to walk down the hall before he could say another word.

Bucky watched him go, wondering what in the hell they were doing. Whatever it was, they both seemed to be enjoying where it was going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long break between updates, I've had a really busy few days!  
> (And also Pokemon Go)
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for all your support!! I'm going out of town in a few days, but I'm hoping I'll have another update for you all before then.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content for like... the whole first half...

The family dinner was pretty much the same as the previous night—jokes, laughter, a few drinks each—except that the entire time, Bucky could feel Steve beside him as if he had an electric charge. Every time a hand of arm would brush the other, Bucky could feel traces of warmth against his skin, and he desperately wanted more of the sensation. It was entirely distracting.

When Tony finally kicked the gang out to get some sleep, he walked slowly with Steve to allow Nat and Clint to get on the elevator first. Bucky brushed a finger along Steve’s hand, half expecting to get a shock from the contact.

“So, are you going to go to the barn again?” He asked casually, ready to invite himself along.

“No, they’re already settled for the night,” Steve replied, nearly crushing Bucky’s spirits before he continued softly. “But you can walk me to my room, if you want.” He offered, looking slightly nervous.

The offer hung in the air a moment, shifting the atmosphere between them.

“Yes.” Bucky responded, voice more gruff than he intended. “I mean, since you apparently can’t walk around at night by yourself,” he joked, trying not to get too ahead of himself. Was this seriously happening, or was he imagining it?

But the way Steve looked at him as he intertwined their fingers was unmistakable. He seemed to have been feeling whatever Bucky had been all evening. As soon as they stepped through the door to Steve’s room, he had Bucky pressed against the wall with their mouths locked together.

A shudder ran up Bucky’s spine as he slid a hand into Steve’s hair, pulling him closer while his other hand traced down the blond’s chest. He broke off to kiss Steve’s neck, moaning into his skin as Steve panted hotly against his ear.

He gasped softly in response, suddenly pulling Bucky by the hips until he sat on the edge of the bed. Bucky immediately settled onto his lap, rocking his hips to get some sort of friction between them, feeling Steve start to harden beneath him.

Bucky took advantage of their new position to run his hands along Steve’s firm chest, slipping his hands under the hem of his shirt to feel the smooth skin beneath. Steve immediately took the hint, briefly moving his arms from around Bucky’s chest to pull off his shirt altogether, tossing it away. Immediately, Bucky surged forward, pressing Steve back against the mattress to kiss and feel every perfect inch of exposed skin, reveling in the soft moans and noises the blond made as he did. As Bucky’s hands moved down towards the button on Steve’s jeans, he felt the man stiffen slightly and immediately hesitated.

“Sorry, I just—“ Steve began, propping himself up on one of his elbows.

Bucky immediately held up his hands, mortified at making too many assumptions. “Shit, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

“I’m just a little out of practice,” Steve interrupted, a small smile playing on his reddened lips as he reached over to take one of Bucky’s hands. “Trust me, I want this, but…” he trailed off sheepishly, looking at their hands in embarrassment. “I, uh, didn’t really… bring anything.”

It took Bucky a moment to understand, but he laughed lightly and cupped Steve’s chin in his free hand. “What, you weren’t expectin’ to get laid at a horse show?” He teased, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. “I didn’t exactly come prepared either,” he admitted, adding another kiss to his cheek and then neck, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time.” He added lowly, looking up through his lashes to see Steve watching him, wide-eyed and hungry as he continued placing kisses down the blond’s chest. “I can make you feel so damn good,” he practically growled.

Steve swallowed heavily, pupils dilated and hair already sticking out at odd angles. "Shit, I know you can, Buck," he murmured, sounding as if he could barely form the words.

Bucky smirked devilishly at the effect he was already having on the other. He straightened to pull off his own shirt, still straddling Steve and rocking against his obvious erection. Steve bit his lower lip to suppress another moan, holding Bucky's hips as he moved.

"Aw, c'mon baby, I wanna hear you," he purred, leaning back over to suck on Steve's nipple. It earned him a sharp breath and downright dirty moan from Steve as he pulled a hand roughly through Bucky's hair.

"Fuck," Steve gasped, and the word coming from his mouth went straight to Bucky's cock. "I'll be as loud as you want once you stop teasing me," he practically whined, hips jerking upwards impatiently.

"Punk in the streets and in the sheets, huh?" Bucky grinned, nipping at Steve's chest as his hands ran down his abs. He pulled at the fly of his jeans, trying to pull them open while running kisses across his skin.

Steve let out a long sigh as his erection pressed against Bucky's thigh through his briefs. His fingers dug into his hips, desperately trying to get more contact between them. Bucky bit his own lip and leaned back again, rocking in a steady motion against Steve as he undid his own pants, swinging off of him just long enough to shimmy out of them entirely and tug off Steve's jeans when he raised his hips to help.

He watched Steve’s breathing falter as he started a line of kisses at his hipbone, tugging at the waistband of Steve’s briefs until they slid down past his knees. Steve hissed out a ragged breath as the cool air hit his straining erection, already dripping precum at the head.

He was propped up on his elbows again, watching with some confusion as Bucky settled between his legs, until he wrapped a hand around Steve’s cock unabashedly. He watched Steve’s expression contort as he stroked slowly, teasingly, before he took the tip in his mouth. Steve was large, but not more than Bucky could take, and watching the way Steve arched against the bed was more than enough compensation.

Steve gripped at the sheets with one hand and tangled the other tightly in Bucky’s hair. His head was tilted back and moans were pouring out of him now, and Bucky hummed appreciatively as he swirled his tongue around the head and watched Steve fight to keep form bucking his hips. Bucky moved his hands to hold Steve steady as he picked up his rhythm, steadily taking Steve in deeper until he made it to the base.

Bucky stopped with his mouth just around the head of Steve’s erection, waiting until Steve met his eyes before taking him down entirely in one go. He kept eye contact through his lashes as he moved his mouth quickly, sparing a hand to stroke his own neglected cock at the same speed. He could feel Steve start to tense beneath him as he moaned Bucky’s name repeatedly, which only made Bucky move more desperately to give them both release.

“Fuck, ah—Buck, I’m—“ Steve barely managed, pulling at Bucky’s hair. Bucky took him down to the base again, swallowing quickly as Steve came down the back of his throat. He watched Steve’s expression twist with pleasure, face beautifully red, as he worked his hand quickly against himself and came just as Steve laid his head back against the bed, panting.

Bucky let his head rest on Steve’s thigh for a few moments to catch his breath before making himself get up to grab a washcloth. He stopped to take in the sight of the blond sprawled naked across the bed, now uncertain if Steve expected him to leave. But Steve opened one eye to smile at him lazily and opened his arms, inviting him into the bed. Bucky grinned and slid in beside him, exhaustion of the day settling on him.

“So, did I make ya feel good or what?” He asked smugly, snuggling against Steve’s side with his arm around him.

He pretended to think for a moment and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so,” he replied, unable to stop a smile. “Especially since you were so unprepared.”  
            “That’s true, just wait ‘til I am prepared, I’ll rock your world,” Bucky mumbled, eyelids growing heavy after the long day and warmth of Steve around him.

Steve laughed softly in response, kissing his forehead gently. “I bet you will. But right now, you just need to get some rest,” he murmured, carding his hand through Bucky’s hair.

Bucky only hummed in response, completely certain that being wrapped in Steve’s arms would give him the best sleep of his life.

 

~~

 

A sudden loss of heat the next morning woke Bucky up grumbling. He tried to nestle deeper into his blankets, but it he couldn’t get the warm sensation back. Groggily, he opened his eyes and saw Steve silently pulling on a clean shirt. The memory of the previous night came flooding back to him, and he grinned as he sat up on the bed with a yawn.

“Oh, did I wake you? I have to feed the horses, but I was trying to let you sleep a little longer.” Steve apologized when he saw Bucky was awake.

“Really? ‘Cause it looks an awful lot like you’re trynna sneak away the morning after a one-night stand.” He quipped.

Steve laughed, sitting down on the bed beside him. “Well, I am trying to sneak away, but hopefully not from a one-night stand.” He replied smoothly, giving Bucky a chaste kiss before turning to pull on his boots. “I’ll see you down there, Bucky,” he added more quietly, eyes so full of sincere affection that Bucky couldn’t work out any kind of response before he was out the door.

Bucky slumped back against the bed, wondering how he’d gotten lucky enough to be in this situation. He was in Steve’s hotel room, with sheets that still smelled like him, and apparently this was going to continue, which was even more difficult to believe. Not that he was complaining.

He stayed in bed for as long as he could, soaking it all in, until he knew he needed to get ready for the second day of the show. It felt like so much time had passed since the previous morning, and he hardly felt like he was at a competition at all. But by the time he made his way to the barn, boots polished and helmet in hand, he felt ready to get on with the competition.

Until he turned the corner to Winnie’s stall and saw Steve holding Brock against a wall by his collar. For a split second, Bucky was rooted to the ground in shock before his brain caught up with the scene he was witnessing.

Brock had his usual cocky grin, despite the fact that Steve was literally holding him up by his shirt, wearing a murderous expression.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?” Bucky called as he hurried towards them. It looked like Steve was about to deck Brock—which he would love to see, but probably wouldn’t end well for either of them.

Steve looked up, surprised to see him, and loosened his hold on Brock’s collar. He opened his mouth to say something, but Brock immediately cut in

“Nothin’ much, Buckaroo. You’re guard dog’s just a little testy.” He quipped, pulling his shirt out of Steve’s loosened grasp and dusting himself off. “Maybe you should keep him on a leash next time.”

Bucky shoved Brock’s shoulder roughly, pushing him away from Steve. “Get the fuck away from us before I do something I won’t regret.” He snapped, standing between the two and glaring Brock down.

“Fine, fine, I’m going. See you in the ring, pal.” He replied nonchalantly and turned on his heel, walking back down the aisle.

Bucky waited until he was completely gone before turning to frown at Steve. “You alright? What’d he say to you?” He asked, torn between anger and concern.

“It’s fine, he just ticked me off. Really,” he added softly when he saw Bucky’s disbelief, “I’m good. Focus on the show.”

His smile was strained, but Bucky could tell he really didn’t want to discuss it now. “Alright, but I wanna hear about this afterwards.”

“Sure thing, Buck,” Steve replied, seeming relieved as he turned to start tacking Winnie up.

Bucky watched him for moment, sighed softly, and started getting ready to ride. Once he was in the saddle and moving, he knew he could let it go- for now.

Their warm up went smoothly, with Winnie desperately trying to show off to no one in particular. Once the horse got in the show mindset, he did everything he could to look good—which definitely wasn’t a problem for Bucky. After a few nice fences and smooth transitions, Bucky had the incident with Brock out of his mind and was ready to get in the ring. Winnie seemed to agree, since he practically pranced in for their first round.

His jumping was even better than the previous day, with Steve giving tips between rounds—and keeping them as far from Brock as possible. Bucky forced himself to ignore it, though, knowing that they could discuss it afterwards. He just had to make it through the flat event, and he might even walk away with some blue ribbons again.

Meanwhile, Crossbones seemed to be more pissed off than yesterday. His tail continually swished like there was a thorn under the saddle, his ears were pinned menacingly, and he attempted to kick another horse as he passed by to get in the arena. Brock was clearly unconcerned, especially since all their rounds were clean, but it made Bucky uneasy. The horse was just too damn angry.

When they all entered for the flat round, he made sure to be on the exact opposite side of the arena, same as yesterday. The judge allowed them to walk for a few minutes before asking for the trot, then canter. The ring wasn’t especially crowded, but with the majority of the jumps set up, it still made navigating difficult. On top of that, Bucky was trying to keep an eye on Brock to keep distance between them.

By the time the judge had them cantering the other way, however, Bucky had forgotten about Brock completely. Winnie was only getting more excited about being in the ring, making his stride longer and faster. Bucky had to keep him towards the inside of the ring to avoid running into anyone, but that meant dodging jumps and slipping between them.

He was trying to half-halt Winnie into a slower rhythm when a horse beside him decided to circle, cutting him off and forcing him to squeeze into a narrow space between two jumps. Just as they made it through, a flash of red appeared in the corner of Bucky’s eye, and suddenly Crossbones was directly in front of them.

Winnie locked his front legs, trying to slide to a stop just as the chestnut lashed out with his hind legs. One made contact on Winnie’s shoulder, and he reared back, trying to get away but blocked by the jumps. Bucky tried to calm his horse down and get him away from Brock, but Winnie’s sudden movements left him unbalanced in the saddle.

When Winnie suddenly leapt to one side and cantered away, Bucky lost a stirrup and suddenly realized he was falling before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo an update! Sorry it took so long, summer's crazy. And now I've left you with a cliffhanger... HA! There's also only going to be two more chapters (mainly because I've got a few ideas I REALLY want to write but I want to finish this first).
> 
> Fun fact, Brock's assholery is based on a real person! It's very gratifying to make other people hate him too.
> 
> And, as always, your comments and kudos mean the world to me and keep me writing! ^^


	8. Chapter 8

Steve was over the fence the moment Bucky came out of the saddle. He watched in horror as Bucky hit the standard of a jump and slumped to the ground. He fought the urge to run, knowing that it could spook the horses, but Bucky was still lying in the sand, unmoving. He was dimly aware of Tony calling for a medic. 

Steve's heart thudded inside his chest as he fell to his knees beside him, terrified at seeing his eyes were still closed. 

"Bucky, wake up, I need you to look at me," Steve said, trying to keep his voice calm as he carefully took off the man's helmet. It had a large dent on the side from hitting the jump, and Steve swallowed nervously. 

But then Bucky groaned, and his eyes slowly opened. "Ugh, what?" He asked groggily, looking briefly confused. "Aw, shit, I fell." 

Steve smiled, beyond relieved. "Yeah, you did. How do you feel, does anything hurt? Don't get up," he added as Bucky started to prop up his arm.

He lied back in the dirt obediently, taking a moment to flex his limbs. "I dunno, my arm’s kinda bad. But I can move everything, so I guess nothing broke." 

"Good, that's amazing," Steve replied, gently stroking his cheek. "But listen, Buck, you hit your head pretty hard on the jump. We need to wait for the medic to check you out before you move, okay?" 

He looked around, wondering where the medic was, and realized the other horses and riders had left. When a rider fell, normally only his trainer would check on him-- jumping in so quickly, Steve realized he'd made the others wait outside. Clint was holding Winnie, checking his shoulder, Tony talking on the phone, glancing at them worriedly, and Natasha seemed to be arguing heatedly with someone from the show barn. Brock was nowhere to be seen.

When the medic showed up, he confirmed what Steve had feared; nothing was broken, but there was a fair chance he had a concussion. They'd have to get him properly checked out at a hospital. When he gave Bucky the go ahead to stand, Steve kept an arm around him to keep him stable as they made their way out of the ring, Bucky trying to hide his limp.

"There's already an ambulance waiting for you, Barnes," Tony told them, still looking concerned.

"What? I don't need a damn ambulance, I'm not dying," Bucky protested, trying to stand up straighter to prove it. "Someone can just drive me to an ER later. I need to check on Winnie."

Tony was shaking his head before Bucky finished. "Winnie's fine, Natasha and Clint are taking care of him. And, like I said, it's already here. You're riding in it, so deal with it. Steve, I trust you can make this one cooperate with the doctors?" He asked, keeping his eyes on Bucky as if he might take off.

"Of course. I'll let you know as soon as we know anything." Steve affirmed, ignoring the annoyed glance Bucky sent his way.

Just then, two EMTs showed up with a gurney between them.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. I can _walk_ , Tony,” Bucky objected despite still leaning heavily on Steve.

“You could be hurt worse than you realize, Buck. We’re just trying to make sure you’re alright.” Steve told him gently, moving towards the gurney. Bucky groaned dramatically but conceded, pitching to the side slightly as Steve helped him sit down.

“Are you following us to the hospital?” One of the EMTs asked as they started rolling the chair.

“Uh, no, he’s riding with us.” Bucky immediately answered. “Or I’m not riding in the damn thing either.”

Steve smiled apologetically. “If that’s alright with you, I don’t want to be in the way.”

The paramedics glanced at each other and one shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but you’ll have to ride up front in case we need to work with him,” she explained.

“Of course, thank you,” he replied gratefully, catching Bucky’s smug smile as they loaded him into the back.

When they arrived at the hospital, they found that Tony had apparently already pulled some strings—probably with a nice donation—since they were taken to a private room for Bucky to be examined.

“This is ridiculous,” Bucky told him as they waited for the doctor. “You know this is ridiculous, right? I hit my head and I’m sore. I don’t need all this.”

Steve smiled, taking his good hand. “Maybe not, but everyone wants to make sure you’re alright. Besides, you’ll probably get out of here faster than if you were in the ER,” he offered.

“Or they forgot about me and we’ll be stuck here for hours.” Bucky joked, looking over at Steve with a frown. “Are you okay here? ‘Cause I’d understand if you don’t want to wait around. I mean, with your mom and—Well, you know.” He stopped awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Steve replied, squeezing his hand. “You’re right, I’ve got plenty of bad memories in hospitals, but some good ones, too. My mom taught me to play a ton of card games when I was sick all the time. And, when she was sick, there was a real nice nurse who snuck us extra pudding cups all the time. My mom always said that was the only good part of the meals in hospitals.” He chuckled softly. “So yeah, I’ve got some awful memories in hospitals, but I want to wait with you. Besides, no one likes hospitals.”

“That’s true, they smell weird,” Bucky chimed in with a grin, squeezing Steve’s hand in return. “But thanks, I’m glad you’re here.”

The door swung open then, and Bucky’s doctor walked in with a hesitant smile. “Hello Mr. Barnes. I’m Dr. Banner, and I’ll be taking care of you today.” He greeted, standing at the foot of Bucky’s bed. “And you are?”

“Oh, Steve Rogers. I’m just here for moral support, I guess. But I’ll wait outside while you look him over.” Steve replied, reluctantly releasing Bucky’s hand. “I’ll call about Winnie while I’m waiting,” he offered as he started towards the door.

“Ah, please do. I dunno how bad that insane horse got him, but I hope he doesn’t need stitches,” Bucky mulled, frowning at the thought.

Dr. Banner glanced between them. “I can have someone get you as soon as I’m done with Mr. Barnes, Mr. Rogers.”

“You can call me Steve,”

“It’s just Bucky,”

They said simultaneously, looking surprised at each other. Bucky started laughing, but grabbed his ribcage and winced.

“Alright, we should get started Mr. B—Bucky,” Dr. Banner insisted, giving Steve a look that made it clear he should exit.

He smiled sheepishly and slipped through the door, heading in the direction of the waiting room with phone already in hand. He decided to call Natasha, since he didn’t really feel like wasting 15 minutes with jokes or snark.

“How’s Barnes?” Natasha demanded by way of greeting.

“He’s in with a doctor right now. He doesn’t seem to be hurting too bad, but I think there’s a fair chance he could have a concussion.” Steve replied with a frown. “How’s Winnie? Bucky’s worried about him.”

Natasha sighed. “He’s going to be fine, it’s not as bad as it could have been. No muscle damage, but he needed a few stitches on his shoulder”

Steve cringed; a wound like that on a shoulder was prone to reopening if Winnie exerted himself, and he was known to do just that. “Great. I’ll tell Bucky once I make sure he’s alright.”

“Let us know what you find out. We were thinking of bringing food by later if he has to stay for a while, so call if he’s allowed to have visitors and isn’t asleep the whole afternoon.”

“I don’t care if he’s allowed to have visitors, if he has to stay longer than an hour I’ll probably need all of your help to keep him in bed.” Steve chuckled.

“Really, Steve? I bet he’d be more than willing to stay in bed all day for you.” She purred in response.

Steve could feel his face heating but did his best to keep his voice level. “Fine, I guess I set myself up for that one,” he muttered.

Natasha laughed easily. “You did. Just be glad you didn’t say that to either of the other two. Speaking of which, I need to find them. Let me know when you have new information.”

With that, she hung up, leaving Steve alone with old magazines in the stuffy waiting room.

 

~~

 

As it turned out, Bucky did have a concussion, a badly bruised shoulder, and a few cracked ribs. The bad news was that they wanted to keep him overnight to monitor him, but worse than that was the concern on Steve’s face when he heard. Dr. Banner assured him it was just to be safe, that they expected everything to be fine, but he still looked worried.

“We’ve given him some acetaminophen for the pain,” Dr. Banner was saying, “so he should be comfortable. If anything feels worse or he needs more medication, ring a nurse and she’ll let me know.”

“Thank you, Dr. Banner. Oh, and can he have visitors? A few friends wanted to stop by and see him.” Steve replied, annoying Bucky that they were both speaking as if he wasn’t there.

Dr. Banner thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, that’ll be fine as long as he gets plenty of rest tonight.”

“Awesome,” Bucky cut in. “Are they allowed to talk to me directly or should someone tell them to pretend I’m not in the room?” He asked dryly.

“Yes, they can speak to you directly.” Dr. Banner replied, looking embarrassed and amused. “Again, let a nurse know if you need anything.” He added, being sure to address Bucky before leaving.

“ _Ugh_ ,” Bucky groaned as soon as the door closed. “What the hell am I supposed to do here all night?”

Steve smiled affectionately and sat on the edge of his bed. “Well, hopefully sleeping through most of it. But for now, I could show a few of those games my mom taught me?” He offered, and holy hell he looked like a damn puppy when his eyes got so big and sincere. “The waiting room was kinda awful, so I swung by the gift shop on the first floor.” He added, pulling a deck of cards from his pocket.

“Sure, or I can teach you strip poker.” Bucky smirked.

Sadly, Steve just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think they encourage strip poker in hospitals. Here, shuffle this while I text Nat that you’re not dying.”

They ended up playing a bunch of card games Bucky never even knew existed. His new favorite was Egyptian Ratscrew, which Steve definitely regretted showing him after both their hands had turned red from being slapped and Bucky had almost knocked his side table over. As long as Bucky didn’t move his left side too much, he could hardly even tell he was hurt. Neither of them would have noticed when Natasha, Clint, and Tony came in if they hadn’t brought take-out— which immediately had Bucky’s stomach grumbling.

“Do I want to know what’s happening here?” Tony asked, dropping bag full o food containers on the side table. “Everyone’s fully clothed, yet I feel uncomfortable.”

“Steve’s been showing me a bunch of card games. Some are surprisingly violent,” Bucky explained as they pulled up chairs around his bed—which they were apparently going to use as a table.

Steve rolled his eyes, handing Bucky some food and chopsticks. “It wouldn’t be violent if you didn’t slam your hand down so hard.”

“Aw, but that’s no fun,” Clint interjected with a grin. “I’m just glad you can still use both your hands. That was a pretty nasty fall.” He added before shoveling chicken into his mouth.

Tony nodded. “We’re all glad you’re okay. And, to top it off, you got blues on your jumping. No surprise there. You had to be D.Q.-ed from the flat, but so did Brock for “unsafe conduct,” so that’s at least a little satisfying.”

“Not satisfying enough.” Natasha muttered darkly, and Steve nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, he’s an asshole, but can we plan my elaborate revenge later?” Bucky asked wearily. “I’m already in a hospital hooked up to weird machines and wearing a paper dress, I don’t wanna think about Brock on top of all that.”

Steve smiled slightly. “You’re right, sorry. How about a round of poker while we eat? Regular poker.” He added, looking meaningfully at Bucky.

“Ohh, yeah!” Clint piped up. “Plus we’re gonna need at least one night to brainstorm vengeance plans anyway.”

After clearing a fair section of the bed, the five starting playing a few hands, using fortune cookies and wontons to bet with. Bucky knew Natasha would be virtually unbeatable, but he hadn’t been prepared for how good Steve’s poker face was. Those damn baby blues just never looked like they were bluffing. Those two paired with Bucky’s general exhaustion and the pain meds made him come dead last and wonton-less. Which Clint found hilarious, and savored eating the last one slowly in front of him.

“Alright, guess what? Outta my room everyone,” Bucky declared, kicking off an empty rice box for effect. “I can’t heal in a room full of people who would take _all the damn wontons_.”

Natasha rolled her eyes but stood, collecting some more of the empty containers. “Fine, James. We’ll let you get some rest. Maybe if you’re really good, someone will get you some wontons.” She told him sarcastically.

“Not sorry about eating them, but I hope you feel better, Bucky!” Clint snickered as he followed Natasha out.

“Get well soon and all that, Barnes.” Tony added with a wave. “You riding back with one of us, Steve?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll catch up in a second,” he replied, glancing quickly over at Bucky.

“’Kay, we’ll meet you downstairs.” Tony said, gaze flicking between the two before leaving as well.

Bucky smirked up at him. “Aw, you wanna give me a proper goodbye?” He asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes.

“Y’know, I was going to offer you my fortune cookie, but if you’re gonna be a jerk—“

“No, I’m sorry Stevie, I’m just tired from falling into a jump, having to ride in an ambulance, having a concussion, all that. I could use a fortune cookie.”

Steve rolled his eyes but smiled and tossed the cookie onto his chest. “Fine, but don’t blame me if it’s not a good fortune.”

“Wait, do they make bad fortune cookies? I feel like I’ve had enough bad luck for a while.” Bucky mused as he pulled off the plastic and broke the cookie. “Alright, let’s see here… “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” What the shit does that mean?”

 Steve laughed and leaned over to read it as well. “It means sometimes what we need is right in front of us, but no one can make us take the opportunity other than ourselves. It’s more of an advice cookie I guess, but that’s better than bad luck, right?” He asked, turning to smile at Bucky only a few inches from his face.

Bucky could tell he surprised Steve with the kiss, but it only took a half moment before he was kissing back. It felt too gentle and soft for whatever Bucky was feeling, but when he moved to pull Steve closer, he had to break off with a wince.

“Hey, don’t strain yourself. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow to take you home, okay?” Steve told him, kissing his forehead before moving away. “G’night, Buck.”

“Night, Steve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left!! Whoo!  
> Thank you for your constant encouragement, it makes me actually sit down and type lol!


End file.
